Blog Post Image: Corals cozy up with bacterial buddies

The reef-building coral Stylophora pistillata, commonly known as the smooth cauliflower coral, lives alongside other coral species in the reefs of the Red Sea. Past studies have linked this and other species to a group of bacteria called Endozoicomonas, but were unable to determine whether the bacteria lived within the coral. Now researchers have found that it resides deep within the coral’s tissues and may help protect the coral from disease. (Photo by Christian Voolstra, KAUST)