Eight leading institutions have converged in the Florida Keys to research how to help corals survive on a rapidly warming planet.
The ocean is in the midst of a Fourth Global Bleaching Event, the most extensive coral crisis in recorded history, which has already impacted more than 84% of the world’s reefs. The group hopes its experiments can provide critical insights into thermal tolerance, resilience, and adaptability to help corals survive as the world’s oceans grow warmer.
The institutions include Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) with its Tavernier Nursery, the world’s largest open-ocean nursery and home to hundreds of distinct genotypes of endangered corals; SEZARC, which specializes in reproductive health studies and services; Shedd Aquarium, which is contributing its mobile research vessel, the Coral Reef II, equipped with wet labs and controlled seawater systems; University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science; and University of Hawai’i Mānoa.
For the first time, scientists said, they are transplanting stem cells from coral larvae into adult fragments to test whether they can enhance the recipient’s tolerance to heat stress to help corals survive rising temperatures. Other tests include inoculating the coral with heat-tolerant algae
“For years, we’ve been building the genetic diversity, infrastructure, and expertise needed to give corals a fighting chance,” said Phanor Montoya-Maya, Restoration Program Manager at Coral Restoration Foundation. “This collaboration is where all that groundwork meets the most innovative science in our field. By bringing our corals and our know-how directly to the cutting edge of experimental research, we’re closing critical knowledge gaps and accelerating real-world solutions. In the face of the greatest threat reefs have ever known, this work is not just about protecting biodiversity — it’s about proving that we still have time to turn the tide.”
The scientists bred coral and are using the larvae to test possible resettlement and intervention strategies to bolster heat tolerance and survivorship at early life stages. CRF has outplanted more than 8,000 corals across seven species since 2015, including 2,894 just this year.
“It may feel like we are throwing everything at the wall on this trip, but that is by design,” said Dr. Shayle Matsuda, research biologist at Shedd Aquarium. “Coral extinction and climate change are some of the most pressing issues facing our planet today, and we need to rapidly explore solutions from all sides if we want to save our oceans. This collaboration is a model of how, by rethinking the way we work together, we can accelerate and magnify our scientific impact.”
