This is how they try to save one of the most important corals in Florida 4:17 (CNN) –– Florida Aquarium scientists made a breakthrough in the race to save a Caribbean coral: For the first time, marine biologists successfully reproduced the elkhorn coral , a very important species, using aquarium technology. It’s a landmark achievement that they hope could help revitalize Caribbean ecosystems, and could pay back to humans by offering additional protection from the fury of hurricanes. Elkhorn coral once dominated the Caribbean. But just as other vital coral ecosystems have been degraded around the world, it is now highly unusual to find elkhorn species alive in the wild. This species is very important because it provides the building blocks for reefs to flourish, and until now has been notoriously difficult to grow in aquaria. Therefore, the scientists were excited when they saw that their reproductive experiment was a success. “When it finally happened, the first feeling was one of pure relief,” said Keri O’Neil, a senior scientist who oversees the aquarium’s spawning lab. “This is a critical step in preventing elkhorn coral from going extinct in the state of Florida.” O’Neil’s colleagues call her the “coral whisperer” because she has spawned many varieties of coral. Elkhorn is the 14th aquarium species to spawn within the Apollo Beach Laboratory, but the team ranks it as the most important so far. O’Neil estimates that there are only about 300 elkhorn corals left in the Florida Keys Reef Tract, but the spawning experiment produced thousands of baby corals. She hopes that up to 100 of them may survive to adulthood. Named for its resemblance to elkhorns (the literal translation of elkhorn), the coral lives on top of the reef crest. It usually grows in water depths of less than 6 meters. This makes their colonies crucial for breaking big waves. During peak hurricane season, reefs are a quiet but powerful ally, protecting Florida’s coastlines from storm surges, which grow larger as sea levels rise. “As these reefs die, they start to erode and we lose that coastal protection, as well as all the habitat that these reefs provide for fish and other species,” O’Neil said. “Now there are very few left, there are just a few scattered colonies. But we are really focusing on restoring the elkhorn coral population for coastal protection.” Just as other vital coral ecosystems have been degraded around the world, it is now highly unusual to find elkhorn species alive in the wild. The news from the Florida Aquarium comes after scientists reported in early August that the Great Barrier Reef showed the greatest extent of coral cover in 36 years. But the outlook for corals around the world is bleak: studies have shown that the climate crisis could wipe out all coral reefs on earth by the end of the century. Elkhorn coral was listed as federally threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2006, after scientists found that a disease has reduced the population by 97% since the 1980s. the warming of the oceans is its greatest threat. As the temperature of the ocean increases, the coral expels the symbiotic algae that live inside it and produce nutrients. This is the process of coral bleaching and usually culminates in its death. “They’re dying all over the world,” O’Neil said. “We’re at a point now where they may never be the same again. You can’t have the ocean feverish every summer and hope there’s no impact,” he insisted. “You know that’s impossible.” Elkhorn coral seems to have something akin to a fertility problem. Their reproduction is sporadic in nature, so making it difficult to sustain much-needed population growth. Due to their low reproductive rate, genetic diversity may also be very low, making them more susceptible to disease. “You could say they are successfully having sex , but they are not having babies [en la naturaleza]”O’Neil explained. “Land animals do this all the time. When you have an endangered panda or chimpanzee, the first thing you do is start a breeding program, but coral breeding is very rare,” he added. The most challenging part for O’Neil’s team was getting something unprecedented: for coral to reproduce in a lab. O’Neil said other researchers doubted they could do it. “We faced a lot of criticism from people,” he said. “They said you can’t keep them in an aquarium. You know that’s impossible!” At first, they were right. Elkhorn coral only spawns once a year. In the 2021 lab experiment, the environment was tightly controlled to mimic natural conditions. Using LED lights, the The team accurately mimicked the cycles of sunrise, sunset, and the moon. But the coral did not spawn. “We found that the time of moonrise was about three hours off,” O’Neil said. After that frustrating failure, aquarium scientists knew they had a better chance this year.And with support from NOAA’s Center for Restoration and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Florida Aquarium did what some peers thought it would in August. It was impossible. This microscope image shows baby corals spawning at the Florida Aquarium. This spawning could change the whole picture, according to Thomas Frazer, dean of the College of Marine Sciences at the University of South Flori. gives. Furthermore, it could lead to a future in which the coral is more resistant to drastic changes caused by the climate crisis. “This kind of work is really important,” Frazer told CNN. “Corals selected for restoration might, for example, be more resistant to warmer ocean temperatures and bleaching, exhibit skeletal properties that can withstand the energy of more intense waves, or traits that might make them more resistant to disease or other environmental stressors,” he added. Margeret W. Miller is a coral ecologist who has focused on restoration research for more than two decades. Miller co-authored a study in 2020 that found the reproductive rate of elkhorn coral in the upper Florida Keys was so low that it would indicate the species was already “functionally extinct” and could be gone in 6-12 years. Miller said the Florida Aquarium’s achievement will open new doors to tackle a larger restoration effort. “Because this species is an important restoration target, the ability to spawn under human care opens up many research opportunities to develop interventions that could make restoration efforts more resilient to climate change and other environmental threats,” he said. Miller. A researcher works with newly spawned coral in an aquarium. Miller added that more research is needed to make sure that when elkhorn coral spawn in the lab it is reasonably safe and effective, and can be used in species conservation. “This type of captive spawning is not a tool that directly addresses the widespread coral restoration on a global scale that is needed. In fact, no current coral restoration effort meets that magnitude. And none will succeed unless we can take serious action to ensure that coral reef habitats can remain in a viable condition where corals can thrive,” Miller said. According to Miller, the climate crisis is the ultimate problem that needs to be solved. “Rapidly rising ocean temperatures, along with threats to water quality, need to be addressed. Still, he said, the ability to grow elkhorn in a lab is an important tool in the restoration effort.” Research into coral propagation and interventions that can be enabled with captive spawning efforts can buy us time to make such changes effectively, before corals disappear from our reefs entirely,” Miller added. Buying time Elkhorn coral branches can grow up to 12 centimeters per year, making it one of the fastest growing coral species. growth, according to NOAA. And according to observations from Florida Aquarium scientists, your new elkhorn coral babies will take 3-5 years to reach sexual maturity. Within 1 to 2 years, scientists intend to replant these lab-grown corals in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. In the race to restore reefs, scientists agree this breakthrough is only a first step. “We’re really buying time,” O’Neil said. “We’re buying time for the reef. We’re buying time for the corals.” The ultimate goal is a breeding program in which scientists can select for genetic diversity and breed more resilient corals capable of resisting threats such as pollution, warming ocean waters, and disease. Then nature can take the helm. “There is hope for coral reefs,” O’Neil stressed. “Don’t lose hope. All is not lost. However, we need to make serious changes in our behavior to save this planet.”