Latest news with #coral
ABC News
2 days ago
- Science
- ABC News
Selective breeding doubles heat tolerance of Ningaloo Reef coral, study finds
Unnatural selection has bred life in all shapes and sizes, and a globe-spanning team of scientists says the same practice might help save Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef. Mining billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest will share that finding at the United Nations Ocean Conference this week, after research backed by his philanthropic Mindaroo Foundation discovered that selective breeding could harden certain Indian Ocean corals against rising ocean temperatures. Kate Quigley, a molecular ecologist at the foundation's Exmouth laboratory, led the study. She said years of selective breeding trials had shown great promise for protecting the World Heritage site from coral bleaching. In the past summer alone, the reef faced widespread damage amid a record-breaking marine heatwave. But by manipulating its annual coral spawn, researchers claim they have confirmed a long-held hope. The new study re-engineers techniques first developed at the Great Barrier Reef. Samples of two Acropora coral species were taken from two sections of the Ningaloo Reef, separated by more than 100 kilometres. "We collected parent corals, so 'mum' and 'dad' corals from an on-average hot reef," Dr Quigley said. "Then, we also went down south to the southern part of Ningaloo Reef and collected what we call 'cool' parents. Alexandra Kler Lago, a master's student from the University of Bremen in Germany, said coral "matchmaking" came with "some pressure". Transporting fragile organisms from the southern tip of the world's largest fringing reef required a specially designed boat. "We had to develop these coolers with a pumping system to keep the water at a stable temperature," Ms Kler Lago said. Although the journey from the reef's more accessible northern colonies was passable by road, that too brought challenges. "We actually had to go to the shallow part with buckets and then carry them filled with water to the trucks," she said. The white-knuckle drive home aside, the breeding process was ultimately an exercise in extreme patience. "All the spawning happens at night, so if we shine a big bright light, that might disturb and hinder the whole process," Ms Kler Lago said. "We have to watch, look at buckets for hours, and look at specific cues that can tell us that breeding is imminent. When "the big night" arrived, Dr Quigley described sorting gametes, or egg and sperm bundles, into groups and allowing them to produce offspring. "We reared up these baby corals to essentially become teenager corals, and we put them through a stress test," she said. Repeated experiments suggested Acropora tenuis, a structural coral found throughout Ningaloo, with at least one "hot" parent and particularly a 'mum' possessed twice the ability to survive temperatures of 35.5 degrees Celsius than other genetic combinations. Australian Institute of Marine Science principal research scientist Chris Fulton said selective breeding was one possible solution for safeguarding the Ningaloo Reef. "We need to protect those corals … that have been robust and have resisted this heatwave event, so they have the best chance possible to repopulate the reef with a new warm-adapted … more resilient coral population." Dr Fulton returned from a trip to the World Heritage site earlier this month. He said water temperatures were only now beginning to drop. "This is the first time we've seen every part of the WA coast show signs of coral bleaching … it has been so hot for so long, over such a large scale that we obviously need to act on emissions reduction." Dr Quigley said further research was needed before attempting to grow heat-resistant corals in vulnerable parts of the reef. She echoed calls for carbon emissions reduction, saying conservation strategies such as selective breeding could only work "hand in hand" with climate policy. "We absolutely need emissions reductions to happen immediately in order for these techniques to have a meaningful impact," she said.
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Science
- Malay Mail
As reefs bleach and die, scientists freeze trillions of coral cells from the Great Barrier Reef to save them for the future
SYDNEY, June 5 — Rows of tanks filled with liquid nitrogen sit in temperature-controlled chambers at Sydney's Taronga zoo, cradling parts of the Great Barrier Reef's diverse and magnificent corals frozen in time. The world's largest store of cryogenically frozen coral is a frosty Noah's Ark for an ecosystem that scientists warn could be the first to disappear if climate change is not combatted fast enough. Trillions of cells from dozens of key coral species on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) — collected each year during mass spawning — offer the chance to regenerate damaged and diminished corals now and into the future. 'Essentially, a pause button has been pressed on their biological clocks,' said Justine O'Brien, manager of conservation science at Taronga Conservation Society Australia. 'I hope our collective efforts can help to retain the reef's beautiful diversity,' she told AFP. Since the coral programme began in 2011, Taronga's CryoDiversity Bank has been intruding annually on the GBR's spawning, when corals send eggs and sperm into the waters for breeding. Scientists collect the sperm and mix it with cryoprotectants, which remove water as the samples freeze, and protect internal cell structures. Eggs contain too much water and fat to be frozen without damage using current techniques, so for now cannot be similarly banked, but other cells are also harvested and frozen for research. The samples are placed into liquid nitrogen and stored at -196 degrees Celsius (-320 Fahrenheit). Strict measures ensure the temperature never changes. 'We can keep them alive indefinitely,' O'Brien said. 'You could thaw them out a few years from now, a few decades from now or hundreds of years from now and they will have retained the same fertilising potential that existed when they were initially collected and frozen.' Rows of tanks filled with liquid nitrogen sit in temperature-controlled chambers at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, cradling parts of the Great Barrier Reef's diverse and magnificent corals frozen in time. — AFP pic Coral disease, death So far the bank has 34 species of the approximately 400 kinds of hard corals on the GBR, prioritising those most essential to reef structure and function, with plans to expand. In addition to reproduction, the samples can be used for research and record-keeping, helping track the effects of warming seas, overfishing and pollution that threaten coral reefs globally. Scientists forecast that at 1.5 Celsius (34.7 Fahrenheit) of warming, some 70 to 90 percent of the world's coral reefs could disappear — a disastrous prospect for people and the planet. Coral reefs support not just marine life but hundreds of millions of people living in coastal communities by providing food, protection from storms and livelihoods through fishing and tourism. Warming oceans cause coral to expel the algae that provides not just their characteristic colour but also their food. Once bleached, they are exposed to disease and death by starvation. A global coral bleaching event has been unfolding since 2023, spreading to 84 per cent of the world's reefs, across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. Live coral cover has halved since the 1950s due to climate change and environmental damage, the International Coral Reef Initiative, a global conservation partnership, said this year. Next week, nations will meet in France for a UN oceans summit where they will be under pressure to deliver action and much-needed funds to better protect the world's overexploited and polluted seas. But the third UN Ocean Conference may struggle to find global consensus and raise money given ongoing disagreements over deep-sea mining, plastic trash and overfishing. 'Window closing' O'Brien warns the GBR is under pressure, despite the resilience it has already shown. 'We know the frequency and severity of impacts that are now occurring are not giving the reef enough recovery time,' she said. The cryobank, one of just a handful around the world, offers a glimmer of hope. Last year, Taronga and Australian Institute of Marine Science researchers successfully thawed frozen coral sperm to fertilise fresh eggs, producing viable coral larvae that were placed back onto the reef. It was a world-first for the GBR and preliminary surveys show the transplants have grown well. These efforts — part of a broader programme looking at everything from shading corals to transplanting more heat-tolerant varieties — are a 'small part of the solution to the global coral reef crisis,' said WWF-Australia's head of oceans Richard Leck. But he warned that more needs to be done to ensure the long-term survival of coral. 'Reefs are incredibly resilient and they do bounce back remarkably quickly after major disturbances,' he told AFP. 'There is certainly a window to get reefs through climate change, but it is clear that that window is closing.' — AFP
Arab News
02-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia's KAUST study finds gall crabs use fluorescence to blend into coral homes
JEDDAH: Marine researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have discovered that gall crabs use highly evolved fluorescence to help conceal themselves within coral hideouts. Susanne Bahr, a KAUST marine science doctoral student, observed that gall crabs fluoresce during night dives, according to a recent report. Bahr said: 'I had been working with these crabs for some time, so this observation was intriguing. I started reading about fluorescence. 'It's well-studied in reef fish, which have many functions, but less is known about fluorescence in crustaceans. Crabs and shrimps are very diverse, so I wondered if similar patterns occur in crustaceans as in fish.' Bahr and colleagues collected 286 gall crabs from 14 genera, sampling from all known host coral genera in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. They developed an imaging technique to identify which parts of the crabs fluoresced and how much. They also performed a morphological analysis and built an evolutionary tree based on genomic sequencing. Gall crabs do more than just live among corals: they have a strong symbiotic relationship. Some invertebrates hide in coral branches and crevices, but for gall crabs, the connection is deeper, the report said. The researchers suggest that fluorescence evolved in various gall crab species to help camouflage them in their coral dwellings. Different species inhabit different coral structures — such as open tunnels or enclosed galls — and their fluorescence patterns influence their visibility. Bahr gave an example of a species living in cylindrical coral pits. 'The back of the crab sticks out slightly. Its fluorescence pattern disrupts its outline, disguising its shape.' Francesca Benzoni, Bahr's supervisor at KAUST, emphasized the importance of understanding coral reef ecosystems. 'Gall crabs are among many invertebrates living with corals on tropical reefs,' she said. Benzoni added: 'Much remains to be discovered about cryptic and poorly studied reef invertebrates, their biology, ecological role, and their contribution to coral reef resilience in the Red Sea and worldwide.' Bahr said: 'I want my research to highlight the importance of coral-associated invertebrates and their role in coral reef ecosystems.' 'They are often overlooked, and we need to understand their abundance, reasons for presence, and their role in reef persistence and resilience.'
Times
14-05-2025
- Science
- Times
‘Irreplaceable' Cornish coral beds could be killed by sewage
Irreplaceable 4,000-year-old coral beds off the Cornish coast could be killed after being smothered in algae caused by sewage pollution and run-off from farms. Marine scientists and conservationists were left shocked by the state of the ancient beds of rare pink calcified seaweeds, known as maerl, which are crucial to supporting fragile underwater ecosystems and act as a nursery for commercial fish and shellfish. The rose pink of a maerl bed is a very rare sight in English waters, with few thought to exist outside Cornwall, where it particularly thrives in clear waters, estuaries and tide-swept bays. The maerl beds of the Fal and Helford estuaries in Cornwall were designated as a Marine Protected Area in 2005 but a recent dive revealed a 'worrying deterioration'
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Conservationists 'shocked' by coral bed deterioration in Cornwall
Marine scientists and conservationists have expressed shock after finding ancient coral beds in Cornwall smothered in algae caused by sewage and organised dive to explore maerl beds as part of the UK Maerl Forum took place off St Mawes in April and revealed a "worrying deterioration" in the ecosystems, Cornwall Wildlife Trust beds consist of fragile, rare and slow-growing red calcified seaweed which acts as a nursery for commercial fish and shellfish species, it Slater, a marine conservation officer at the trust, said it was "a massive concern" and improvement to the water quality in the Fal Estuary was needed urgently. 'Very sombre atmosphere' Organised by Cornwall Council and Natural England, the forum aimed to increase collaboration and create an action plan for the protection of Cornwall's maerl Slater said: "It was a shocking sight. "The area, which was previously purple and beautiful, is now covered with a thick layer of brown, fluffy algae. "We've surveyed here regularly for the past eight years and I have never seen the maerl beds looking like this."It was a very sombre atmosphere."Cornwall Wildlife Trust said mobile fishing gear was damaging maerl beds, as well as a deterioration in water added scallop dredges and beam trawls, which could destroy up to 70% of the live maerl nodules, were of "particular concern". Mr Slater said: "Maerl grows so slowly. If you lose it, there's very little chance you'll be able to grow it back; certainly not within our lifetime."Maerl beds, which also act as a vital carbon store, were recently classified as irreplaceable marine habitats by Natural England, Cornwall Wildlife Trust trust said it was working with farmers to reduce agricultural run-off and with fishers on sustainable management practises.
