A scientific team led by the University of Miami, the Florida Aquarium, and the Honduran organization Tela Marine, launched a pioneering project for reef restoration on the coast of Miami, following the collapse caused by a massive coral bleaching event two years ago.
The experiment aims to enhance the thermal resilience of corals against the increasing ocean temperatures, a direct consequence of global climate change. “It is the culmination of a long preparatory phase,” said Andrew Baker, marine biologist and director of the Coral Reef Futures Lab in an interview with the AP news agency.
The initiative includes the transplantation of hybrid corals, the result of crossbreeding between specimens from Florida and the western Caribbean. Specifically from a warm reef off Tela, Honduras, where the waters are 2°C warmer than those in Florida.
Heat-tolerant Corals: key to surviving bleaching
The team managed to collect sperm and eggs from elkhorn corals during their reproductive period, conducting cross-fertilizations in the laboratory to produce hybrid offspring.
The choice of corals from Tela was not random: in that area, elkhorn corals thrive despite the extreme heat and nutrient pollution conditions, similar to those projected for Florida in the coming decades.
Additionally, this is the first time an international transplant of hybrid corals has been authorized in a wild ecosystem.
Measures against coral bleaching
Throughout the summer, the team will monitor whether these specimens demonstrate greater thermal tolerance than native corals. This could expand the scale of the model in the Caribbean.
Elkhorn Corals: natural guardians of the coasts
Elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata) are essential for reef crest formation, structures that disperse wave energy and protect the coastline from storms and floods.
However, this species has suffered a dramatic loss in recent years. Following the bleaching event of 2023, it is estimated that over 95% of the specimens on Florida’s reefs disappeared.
Bleaching occurs when high temperatures expel the symbiotic algae that provide color and energy to the coral, leaving it exposed and vulnerable.
Experimental Planting and Comparative Evaluation
The fragments created in the laboratory were installed on concrete platforms in different areas of the reef.
They were strategically placed to facilitate the comparative analysis between hybrid corals and pure Floridian corals, measuring growth, resistance, and thermal adaptability.
International Collaboration: science without borders
The model promoted by Baker and his team was developed in collaboration with Tela Coral and supported by scientists like Keri O’Neil, leader of the Coral Conservation Program at the Florida Aquarium.
O’Neil emphasized that some of the fragments have been growing since 2020 and that crossbreeding is planned annually to improve offspring based on results.
Photos: University of Miami Rosenstiel School
