Coral reefs thrive in parts of the world’s oceans that are low in nutrients. This mystery has puzzled scientists for centuries and has become known as the “Darwin paradox of coral reefs”.
Our new study adds the missing piece of the puzzle. We found that many species of coral cultivate and feed on the microscopic algae that live inside their cells. This vegetarian diet allows the corals to tap into a large pool of nutrients that was previously considered unavailable to them.
