Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday November 28 2017, @03:06AM   Printer-friendly
from the moving-to-a-new-neighborhood dept.

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.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 28 2017, @01:16PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 28 2017, @01:16PM (#602491)

    But how can corals survive in super acidic conditions that deplete calcium carbonate? Make themselves out of something else?

    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.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +1  
       Interesting=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Interesting' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   1