Scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography have developed a new microscope that’s revealing the intricate, hidden processes that sustain coral life.
The diver-operated microscope — called the Benthic Underwater Microscope imaging PAM, or BUMP — incorporates pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) light techniques to offer an unprecedented look at coral photosynthesis on micro-scales.
In a new study released today, researchers describe how this microscope makes it possible to study the health and physiology of coral reefs in their natural habitat.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the new microscope will help scientists uncover precisely why corals bleach and inform remediation efforts. While the bleaching process is known, it’s not fully understood and it hasn’t been possible to study in depth in the field — until now.
The microscope is already yielding new insights into the relationship between corals and the symbiotic microalgae that support their health, revealing for the first time how well individual algae photosynthesize within coral tissue.
According to Or Ben-Zvi, a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps and lead author of the study:
“This microscope is a huge technological leap in the field of coral health assessment. Coral reefs are rapidly declining, losing their photosynthetic symbiotic algae in the process known as coral bleaching. We now have a tool that allows us to examine these microalgae within the coral tissue, non-invasively and in their natural environment.”
The new microscope is small enough to fit in a carry-on suitcase and light enough for a diver to transport to the seafloor without requiring ship-based assistance. In collaboration with the Smith Lab at Scripps Oceanography, Ben-Zvi, a marine biologist, tested and calibrated the instrument at several coral reef hot spots around the globe: Hawaii, the Red Sea and Palmyra Atoll.
Jules Jaffe, a research oceanographer at Scripps and co-author of the study, added:
“The microscope facilitates previously unavailable, underwater observations of coral health, a breakthrough made possible thanks to the National Science Foundation and its critical investment in technology development. Without continued federal funding, scientific research is jeopardized. In this case, NSF funding allowed us to fabricate a device so we can solve the physiological mystery of why corals bleach, and ultimately, use these insights to inform remediation efforts.”
