I was always a nature person and felt connected with the outdoors. There was something therapeutic about being alone by the water- just a wandering mind and the constant breaking of the waves along the shoreline. To me, the raw beauty of the environment is worth preserving because the small moments where we get the chance to truly appreciate nature are the most memorable ones. In a time where economic gains are prioritized above the state of the environment, it is disheartening to see that the environment that took billions of years to form is being dismantled in a span of decades … As I learned more about the major issues surrounding oceanic life and climate change, I became drawn to corals, who played pivotal roles in the balance of marine ecosystems while maintaining their intrinsic beauty. It was this perfect harmony of symbiosis that has remained unchanged for thousands of years- until now. Increased carbon emissions across the world have led to increased oceanic temperatures. Because corals thrive at an optimal temperature, they are unable to survive when oceanic temperatures rise. As a result, we are seeing massive bleaching events across the world’s oceans. In recent years, bleaching events have become more severe, and corals are running out of time. With coral vitality at risk, I knew that part of the solution to improving coral health was the microbiome, whose wide consortium of bacteria may play a part in increasing resistance to heat stress …

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• Ecology
• Biology