In an innovative effort to mitigate the impact of rising ocean temperatures on Florida’s coral reefs, scientists from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science traveled to Honduras to collect new coral parents to help Florida’s corals survive climate change. The team focused on Tela Bay, on the northern coast of Honduras, known for its corals' remarkable resistance to conditions that typically cause bleaching elsewhere.
Andrew Baker, professor of marine biology and ecology and director of the Coral Reef Futures Lab, and graduate students Alexandra Wen, Fabrizio Lepiz Conejo, and Cailyn Joseph worked in collaboration with Antal Borcsok, a longtime advocate of the reefs in Tela Bay and co-founder and CEO of Tela Marine, a local science organization and aquarium. The research team collected DNA samples from 10 coral species and live fragments of elkhorn and brain corals. These samples will be studied to understand the genetic factors contributing to their resilience.
The collected corals endured a 15-hour journey to Miami, supported by Amerijet International Airlines. Upon arrival, they were transported to the Rosenstiel School’s fish and coral hatchery. Some corals were also sent to The Florida Aquarium’s Coral Conservation and Research Center in Apollo Beach, Florida, to increase the chances of successful spawning this summer.
“These species were targeted for their potential heat tolerance and disease resistance,” said Baker. “We plan to study these corals to understand why they are so resilient and also try to breed these corals with Florida’s surviving elkhorn corals to produce new baby corals that might be able to survive Florida’s warmer future.”
Regulatory approvals are still required for planting the offspring onto Florida’s reefs, ensuring the continuation of coral conservation and restoration efforts.
Read more about the Rosenstiel students involved in the collection of the corals, and the journey from Honduras to Miami.
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