Screaming in Color: Coral in Crises Series is a collaborative original watercolor painted with Mary Kay Neumann

This watercolor is a part of the collaborative environmental project by Helen Klebesadel and Mary Kay Neumann entitled: The Flowers Are Burning: An Art and Climate Justice Project. It can be seen here: https://www.theflowersareburning.com

“Screaming in Color: Coral in Crises Series”
Collaborative Watercolor by Mary Kay Neumann and Helen Klebesadel 22x15

Corals are invertebrate animals that belong to a large group called Cnidaria (like the sea anemone and jellyfish). They are symbiotic and have mutual and beneficial relationships with other organisms to survive. Living reefs are the homes for thousands of tiny animals, known as coral polyps. They live amongst the skeletal remains of their ancestors on the coral. The polyps have a symbiotic relationship with algae called zooxanthellae . These tiny algae live inside a coral polyp’s tissues. They’re what give coral its bright color. The algae use sunlight to make sugar. This feeds not only the algae, but also the coral polyp.

The symbiotic zooxanthellae of coral are often brownish or green because of the photosynthetic pigment called “chlorophyll”. Like with deciduous tree leaves, the chlorophyll is responsible for the brown or green coloration. There are also more then 85 fluorescent pigments that can be produced by corals.

Some corals increase the production of colorful protein pigments when they are exposed to bright sunlight or heat. Pink and purple proteins act as sunscreens for the corals by administering protection for coral against the damaging effects of UV rays. When the zooxanthellae cells convert light to chlorophyll, the biological process manufactures a life-giving supply of oxygen. Corals may change their color (like to blue, violet, red) to adapt to different light conditions and water temperature. The brighter the color of the coral, the more oxygen is being produced.

Corals can decrease or increase the chlorophyll production from the zooxanthellae cells depending on environmental requirements. Healthy coral has subtle earthy tones. The brighter fluorescent tones we have become accustomed to seeing are actually a sign that the coral is going through heat stress. Under heat stress conditions there is initially a spike in fluorescence and then a decline as the corals bleach.

​Corals are screaming in color. Will we hear them?