麻豆淫院

A recent publication by University of Guam Marine Laboratory scientists, "Restoration innovation: Fusing microbial memories to engineer coral resilience," suggests a novel framework that pairs fundamental biology with applied biology to innovate in restoration ecology. The research is in the journal One Earth.

Marine Lab scientists have witnessed extreme bleaching events in Guam waters and are on the forefront of coral restoration. With ocean warming trends causing detrimental effects on coral reefs, researchers are working feverishly to unravel the complexities of these marine communities to protect them. They are finding there are massive unknowns in the basic biology of corals.

It is common knowledge that corals live in a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae, bacteria, viruses, and fungi, but what is not fully understood are the dynamics of how these relationships and their resulting microbiomes improve resilience in corals.

"We believe our study is a large conceptual step forward and acts as a call to action for scientists to integrate subfields, identify missing basic information, and develop new techniques to maximize sustainability of restoration efforts," said lead author Colin Anthony.

Their research represents the first attempt to integrate coral microbiology, fusion, fragmentation, restoration, and environmental resilience into a unified theoretical approach. They believe this framework will provide valuable insight as coral restoration ecologists work to keep pace with climate change.

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This synthesis was inspired by the work of the Raymundo Coral Lab in successfully culturing all of Guam's staghorn Acropora species across two large coral nurseries. The authors: Colin Anthony, Drs. Sarah Lemer, Laurie Raymundo, and H茅lo茂se Rouz茅 observed that nursery-cultured Acropora have different morphology, physiology, and microbiomes than their wild counterparts.

Building on this, they began focusing on Guam's most endangered staghorn corals, while looking for ways to enhance restoration success using a combination of fragmentation and fusion.

"We are in the process of testing, evaluating, and developing integrative restoration techniques on critically endangered staghorn corals in Guam," Anthony said.

"I have moved to the University of Tokyo to pursue fundamental questions on coral symbiosis that will spark innovation in coral reef management and conservation, while Dr. Rouz茅 has moved to Mayotte as a researcher for IRD (French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development) to implement similar frameworks into local research efforts.

"Despite both of us moving to different countries, Dr. Rouz茅 and I plan to work closely with Dr. Raymundo's coral restoration group and other biologists in Guam."

In applying the framework proposed in their publication, the authors acknowledge there are a variety of potential outcomes, which underscore the need for continued studies of coral interactions with their endosymbiotic communities.

The UOG Marine Lab has successfully undertaken coral restoration projects resulting in raising more questions than answers, which is science at its best.