Choice of traits defines the scope for assisted evolution of corals under climate change

Keywords coral bleaching heatwaves selective breeding fitness trade-offs genetic co-variance breeding values thermal tolerance restoration accelerated adaptation Introduction Global warming is driving many species toward local extinction as environmental conditions increasingly exceed physiological limits.1,2,3 Marine heatwaves can trigger mass coral mortality events and impose intense selective pressure,4,5,6 thereby shaping the distribution of genetic variance for heat tolerance across...