Wenzhong Wang

Biomass Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resouces, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol. 15, No. 6   
Received: 09 Sep., 2025    Accepted: 21 Oct., 2025    Published: 07 Nov., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This study reviews the mechanism by which heat stress affects corals and explores how reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, symbiotic rupture, and metabolic imbalance cause physiological damage and bleaching. Meanwhile, different albinism patterns and the regulation of their degrees by environmental and interspecific factors were analyzed. Then, focus on the mechanisms of coral resilience: including physiological recovery (such as heat shock proteins, metabolic regulation), ecological recovery (such as recolonization, community renewal), and the potential mechanisms of recovery failure. The evolutionary and ecological mechanisms of coral adaptation to heat stress were further discussed, including the screening of symbiotic algae, host genetic responses and ecological strategies. This study also combines the background of global change and proposes intervention strategies based on ecological engineering and management policies to enhance the recovery and resilience of coral systems. Studies have shown that the responses of corals to bleaching and heat stress are the result of the coordinated effects of multiple levels and mechanisms. Future conservation strategies should take into account both natural recovery potential and human intervention, and utilize molecular and ecological tools to monitor and guide the adaptation process. This research not only helps to deepen the understanding of the vulnerability of the coral-symbiotic algal system, but also provides an important theoretical basis for understanding the dynamic mechanism of coral recovery and adaptation under heat stress conditions.

Coral; Heat stress; Albinism; Resilience; Symbiotic algae