Emily Sohn
Source: Discovery News
June 18, 2010

Unlike the well-publicized turmoil of pelicans, turtles, fish and other obvious animal victims of the Gulf oil spill, the fate of corals more than 1,000 feet below the surface remains unknown.

While scientists haven't been able to visit the Gulf's deep-water coral since oil started gushing under water in April, research elsewhere is revealing new details about how the corals respond to environmental stresses. One of the latest studies out of Australia found that, much like people, some corals have stronger immune systems that help them resist stress and fight diseases.

Along with other ongoing research in the Gulf, the findings should help scientists predict what's going to happen to the corals that now lie beneath massive plumes of oil. For now, the experts are left to worry.

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