Building a Better Coral Reef
Building a Better Coral Reef
“We’re trying to find the super corals, the ones that survived the worst heat stress of their lives,”
said Dr. Cantin, a researcher with the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville.
“We want to take the whole adult coral, collect its babies and then grow the larvae into adult coral.”
Professor van Oppen, a senior scientist who oversees Dr. Cantin’s research, said
that part of what makes the Australian experiment stand out is the “sea simulator” at the Townsville marine institute.
Starting with hardy coral polyps that survived past environmental assaults in Kaneohe Bay, the Gates lab is trying to make them even hardier, crossbreeding the corals
and testing offspring in water treated to mimic the hotter, more acidic conditions likely to prevail in a future ocean.
“We’re trying to find the super corals, the ones that survived the worst heat stress of their lives,”
said Dr. Cantin, a researcher with the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville.
“We want to take the whole adult coral, collect its babies and then grow the larvae into adult coral.”
Professor van Oppen, a senior scientist who oversees Dr. Cantin’s research, said
that part of what makes the Australian experiment stand out is the “sea simulator” at the Townsville marine institute.
Starting with hardy coral polyps that survived past environmental assaults in Kaneohe Bay, the Gates lab is trying to make them even hardier, crossbreeding the corals
and testing offspring in water treated to mimic the hotter, more acidic conditions likely to prevail in a future ocean.