Using temperature tolerance & disease resilience data to improve coral restoration; Dr. Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley, CCMI
Coral reefs are increasingly threatened by natural and anthropogenic stressors, such as global climate change, and have undergone unprecedented losses over the last several decades. To mitigate continued declines, the practice of coral restoration has gained considerable interest, in which corals are raised in nurseries and outplanted to restore abundances on degraded reefs. However, many current restoration approaches lack research-integrated techniques and thus while corals can be grown well in a nursery setting, long-term survival post outplanting remains a critical failure point. In this study, we aimed to test the thermal resilience of corals in the established nursery at CCMI to determine if laboratory-based assessments of tolerance translate into higher rates of survival after outplanting. Results from this research provide valuable information for future outplanting strategies to maximize success.
Presented at Ambassadors of the Environment, 3 May 2023