The Nature Conservancy (TNC) currently operates fourteen underwater nurseries to grow coral cuttings before transplanting them into degraded reefs.
acropora cervicornis
To respond to coral reef degradation related to human activity or natural causes, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has embarked on a major project. Under the surface of the oceans bordering Florida and the Virgin Islands of the United States, it develops curious nurseries intended to make prosper the populations of coral of stag horn (Acropora cervicornis).
This specimen gets its name from its astonishing ramification similar to the antlers of a male cervid. The growth of its structure is particularly fast with a speed of 10 to 20 centimeters per year. Despite this advantage, the deer's coral is listed as a threatened species by the US federal government.
A delicate protocol:
In total, a dozen nurseries have been set up in collaboration with other organizations. On site, researchers and volunteers are working to grow coral cuttings according to a specific protocol. At first, fragments of branches of about three centimeters are taken with tongs directly on organisms living in the wild. The pieces of coral are then introduced into one of the fourteen nurseries of TNC.
From there, each end of the branch is glued to a concrete washer and then fixed to a base exposed to light. You then have to wait until the coral reaches five centimeters in diameter and length before transplanting it into a natural reef. The growth of deer horn coral fragments requires careful monitoring. The cuttings are regularly measured and cleaned to prevent the proliferation of harmful algae. Researchers also expose them to different temperatures in order to prepare them for transplanting in the wild.
Objectives: transplant 5.000 corals:
The project led by TNC and its collaborators has so far 28.000 fragments of corals grown in nurseries. The organization hopes to successfully transplant at least 5.000 corals on 34 different sites. This method of artificial growth could be the solution to the restoration of coral reefs. These natural environments, essential for the development of many marine organisms, are currently undergoing many threats such as trawling, pollution, earthquakes or plankton blooms.
source: maxisciences.com (30.01.12)
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2 comments
Thank you
Thanks Oz 😉