From 2016 to 2018 the Tara Pacific expedition carried out a two-year scientific study of Pacific coral reefs. The team examined 32 archipelagos and collected a total of 58,000 samples. The mission aimed to describe the biodiversity of the reefs and nearby open water systems.
Researchers led by Rebecca Vega Thurber used a genomic approach to study the coral reef microbiome. They sampled bacteria from two types of stony coral and one fire coral. The team found many bacteria that were specific to their coral hosts and not present in the water. These bacteria make bioactive small molecules that could be useful in medicine and industry, for example in drugs, laundry detergents, concrete development and new biotechnology materials.
Difficult words
- expedition — organized trip for scientific work
- archipelago — group of islands close togetherarchipelagos
- biodiversity — different kinds of life in one place
- genomic — related to an organism's DNA and genes
- microbiome — community of microbes on or in an organism
- sample — a small part taken to study or testsampled, samples
- bioactive — able to change living cells or organisms
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Discussion questions
- Where did the Tara Pacific expedition study and collect samples?
- Why might the bioactive molecules be useful for medicine and industry?
- Would you like to join a scientific expedition like this? Why or why not?
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