REVIEW PAPER
The Unseen Drivers of Coral Health;
Coral Microbiome; The Hope for Effective
Coral Restoration
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1
Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 178 Daxue Road, Siming District, Xiamen 361005,
People’s Republic of China
2
Botany & Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al Azhar University (Girls Branch), Cairo, Egypt
Submission date: 2021-05-18
Final revision date: 2021-07-07
Acceptance date: 2021-08-07
Online publication date: 2021-12-31
Publication date: 2022-02-16
Corresponding author
Hala F Mohamed
Third institute of oceonography, Daxue Road, 361005, Xiamen, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2022;31(2):989-1006
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ABSTRACT
Coral restoration is important in ocean engineering because corals play a crucial role for sustainable
marine ecosystems and in global carbon cycle. Coral microbiome controls the host life and functions
by occupying different coral components such as tissue, skeleton, mucus and surrounding water.
They work together as a complementary community to create the circle of healthy life for coral reefs.
In addition to their role in carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycling, metabolism and defence, their pattern
of abundance and diversity shapes coral resilience and adaptation to the changing environment.
As coral reefs are facing a tremendous decline by climate change and human activities, we here review
the motors shifting the pattern of natural coral microbiome, and how this microbiome shift could affect
coral health or drive coral adaptation to both climate change and anthropogenic disturbances. The available
coral restoration techniques and their limitations are also discussed, particularly the new arising trend
of coral restoration through coral microbiome. After presenting the high value of microbial community
in maintaining coral reef health, we suggest that coral restoration through their microbiome could be
a self-sustaining tool in fighting worldwide coral decline and urge scientist to draw more attention
toward this new approach.