Researchers discover a coral superhighway in the Indian Ocean

The world is once again watching, as El Niño devastates coral reefs throughout the Indian Ocean. A comprehensive genetic analysis revealed recent gene flow between all sample sites - possibly within just a few generations - suggesting that coral larvae may be frequently transferred between different populations. For example, coral larvae spawned at the remote Aldabra atoll could disperse westwards towards the east coast of Africa via the East African Coastal Current. Map of the southwest Indian Ocean, with red lines connecting Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles, to simulated downstream coral larval destinations, primarily in East Africa. This suggests that centrally located coral reefs in Seychelles, and possibly East Africa, may play an important role in linking the most remote islands.