Scleractinian reef-building corals can lose their endosymbiotic photosynthetic dinoflagelates (Symbiodiniaceae) and bleach in response to drastic changes in environmental conditions, such as extreme temperature fluctuations and burial events. As bleaching episodes are becoming more frequent and intense worldwide, post-bleaching recovery is critical for coral resilience. We report an in situ experiment in which a previously monitored colony of the coral Siderastrea stellata was found detached, overturned, buried, and bleached (95% of its surface). We reattached the coral to the reef and documented its recovery during 6 months by quantifying its surface area and health condition using 3D models derived from structure-from-motion photogametry of videos obtained in the field. The coral showed the first signs of recovery from a bright-white bleached state within 2 days and fully recovered to a healthy-like state in roughly 1 month, demonstrating that the endosymbiotic algal community recovered fast. Understanding the mechanisms of this fast recovery in marginal reefs in which post-bleaching mortality of dominant reef-building corals like S. stellata is relatively low (< 10%) may provide insights on how reef-building corals will cope with future climate change.

由于环境温度的剧烈变化（例如极端温度波动和土葬事件），形成巩膜珊瑚礁的珊瑚会失去其共生共生的光合鞭毛藻（Symbiodiniaceae）和漂白剂。随着全球漂白事件变得越来越频繁和激烈，漂白后的恢复对于珊瑚的复原力至关重要。我们报告了一个原位实验，其中先前监测到的珊瑚Siderastrea stellata菌落被发现脱落，倾倒，掩埋和漂白（表面的95％）。我们将珊瑚重新附着在珊瑚礁上，并使用从野外拍摄的视频的动态结构光度法得出的3D模型量化了珊瑚的表面积和健康状况，从而记录了珊瑚在6个月内的恢复情况。珊瑚在2天内显示出从亮白色漂白状态恢复的最初迹象，并在大约1个月内完全恢复为健康状态，表明内共生藻类群落快速恢复。了解边缘珊瑚礁的这种快速恢复的机制，其中主要的造礁珊瑚（如S. stellata）的漂白后死亡率相对较低（<10％），这可能提供有关造礁珊瑚如何应对未来气候变化的见解。