Coral larvae can be transplanted from a lab and into a damaged coral reef:
Coral bred in one part of the Great Barrier Reef was successfully transplanted into another area, Australian scientists said Sunday, in a project they hope could restore damaged ecosystems around the world.
In a trial at the reef's Heron Island off Australia's east coast, the researchers collected large amounts of coral spawn and eggs late last year, grew them into larvae and then transplanted them into areas of damaged reef.
When they returned eight months later, they found juvenile coral that had survived and grown, aided by underwater mesh tanks.
"The success of this new research not only applies to the Great Barrier Reef but has potential global significance," lead researcher Peter Harrison of Southern Cross University said.
"It shows we can start to restore and repair damaged coral populations where the natural supply of coral larvae has been compromised."
Harrison said his mass larval-restoration approach contrasts with the current "coral gardening" method of breaking up healthy coral and sticking healthy branches on reefs in the hope they will regrow, or growing coral in nurseries before transplantation.
(Score: 2, Informative) by rylyeh on Tuesday November 28 2017, @05:44AM (2 children)
This allows the coral gametes to evolve in warmer temperatures.
"a vast crenulate shell wherein rode the grey and awful form of primal Nodens, Lord of the Great Abyss."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 28 2017, @05:57AM (1 child)
Is there any indication the scientists are actually trying to make them evolve? Maybe by growing the larvae in hotter, more acidic conditions and selecting the survivors they can do it. But how can corals survive in super acidic conditions that deplete calcium carbonate? Make themselves out of something else?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 28 2017, @01:16PM
The same way they've survived the same conditions in Eocene (PETM).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231515864_The_evolution_of_mid_Paleocene-early_Eocene_coral_communities_How_to_survive_during_rapid_global_warming [researchgate.net]
All existing lineages of calcifying marine organisms are descended from survivors of much worse conditions (Permian-Triassic extinction). Naturally they do have some coping mechanisms.