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Living reviewVersion 7 · updated 3 days ago · cite as CitePep LR-0142 v7

Does symbiont shuffling help corals recover after marine heatwaves?

Probably yes, for some coral genera: moderate certainty. Colonies that shift toward heat-tolerant symbionts recover faster in most studies, but the effect varies by genus and depends on how severe the heatwave was.

Current conclusion
Probably yes, for Acropora and Pocillopora. Unclear for massive corals.
Very low
Low
Moderate
High
Moved from low to moderate in v5 after two independent replications.
Evidence11 studies · 2 replications · 1 null result · 1 excluded
Osei et al. (2026) · bioRxiv v2Field, 14 sites · preprintSupports
JCU re-analysis (2026)Replication of Osei et al.Supports
Cunning et al. (2015)Lab, Pocillopora onlyPartly supports
Silverstein et al. (2017)Massive coralsUnchanged
Hughes et al. (2023)Retracted 1 Oct 2026Excluded
What changedEvery version can be cited
  1. 1 Oct 2026Retracted study excludedHughes et al. (2023) removed after a source alert. Conclusion unchanged.
  2. 24 Sep 2026Replication addedJCU re-analysis consistent with Osei et al. Certainty held at moderate.
  3. 14 Aug 2026New preprint addedOsei et al. v2 · pending peer review.
  4. 3 Mar 2026Certainty raisedLow → moderate after two replications.
MaintainersChanges need 2 of 3 to agree
KTReviewerCoastal ecosystems · authority 78
LBReviewerCoral physiology · authority 77
RMReviewerReef ecology · authority 74
Waiting for review
Santos et al. null resultQueued
2 community flagsQueued
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