Land-based Nurseries and Sexual Propagation
Abstracts

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Planning for the Future:
The Coral Propagation Strategy

Morgan Eason

Florida Sea Grant

Full Abstract

Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR) is experiencing an unprecedented disease outbreak described as stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD). First reported near Miami in 2014, SCTLD has since spread throughout the entire reef tract including the Dry Tortugas resulting in the mortality of millions of colonies from >20 coral species, including primary reef builders and species listed under the Endangered Species Act. A multi-agency Coral Rescue Team (CRT) was developed to 1) design and implement a reef tract-wide coral collection plan for SCTLD-susceptible species, 2) preserve genetic diversity of Rescue corals in land-based holding, and 3) plan for future propagation, restoration, and reintroduction of Rescue corals to the wild. Since 2018, the CRT has collected over 2500 corals across 20 different species which are being held at 25 long-term housing facilities, labs, and organizations across 13 US states including many Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited facilities for care. Propagation of these corals is now the main focus in these land-based facilities to create sexual offspring which will eventually be outplanted in hopes of restoring the coral populations of FCR. The “Propagation Strategy” was established to take the Rescue Project from holding broodstock through the steps of propagation, including spawning, assisted fertilization, settlement, and growout in preparation for outplanting and restoration. The Propagation Strategy encompasses four primary components, (1) the genetic management and breeding plan, (2) in-water infrastructure plan, (3) land-based infrastructure plan, and (4) transfer plan. Initial planning efforts are focused on the land-based infrastructure plan with the goal of increasing capacity at current facilities and bringing new facilities into the program and preparing them for propagation. The genetic management and breeding plan will determine which corals are spawned and outplanted to create the highest potential genetic diversity, while the in- water infrastructure plan will determine the need for in-water nurseries to hold and acclimate corals to prepare them for introduction to the wild. Current wild populations, genetic needs for restoration, and production abilities determine which corals must be prioritized, the location of outplanting, and the number of corals to be outplanted. The development of the “Propagation Strategy” is essential for scaling up activities and maximizing current and potential resources necessary for restoring corals lost to SCTLD.

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium's Strategy
to preserve and restore Florida's Coral Reef

Erinn Muller

Mote Marine Laboratory

Full Abstract

As coral reefs continue to decline across the globe, an increased interest in ex situ gene banking and propagation has developed. In Florida, an ongoing disease outbreak has greatly reduced population densities of disease susceptible species, potentially limiting sexual reproduction and natural recovery. Large distances between surviving colonies also make in situ spawn collection from diverse parents difficult. In response to the ongoing outbreak, a variety of genetic rescue projects have been implemented to bring disease susceptible species into ex situ culture and preserve living genetic diversity. At The Florida Aquarium, corals being held in a long- term ex situ genetic bank were maintained using artificial lighting and temperature cues programmed to mimic natural cycles in Key Largo, FL. Some individuals were also held in greenhouses exposed to natural lighting with less precisely controlled temperature cycles. Synchronized broadcast spawning events were documented in aquaria over four annual spawning cycles from 2019 - 2022. Repeatable and predictable ex situ spawning events such as these are an essential tool for managed breeding and assisted fertilization in species suffering from severe population declines. These predictable and well-synchronized ex situ spawning events show that long-term living genetic banks can be used to preserve coral genotypic diversity in the face of severe wild declines and small ex situ populations can be used to produce thousands of offspring annually for future restoration activities.