The current research on
coral propagation taking place at the MSC, as seen in the picture to
the right, is focusing solely on lighting and its affect coral
growth.
Educating the public about
the importance of conserving coral reefs is also of importance. The
entire Coral Propagation Research Project is visible to visitors
from an observation deck above the project and includes a 6’ x 4’
informational kiosk that explains the project and ways to help
conserve coral reefs. The project will be used as a vehicle to teach
coral conservation and science through guided tours and outreach
programs already in place at the Marine Science Center.
Project
Description
Coral
reefs exist in one of the most delicate balances in nature, in the
shallow, clear waters of tropical oceans where stony corals can
accrete their calcareous skeletons, aided by energy provided by
their symbiotic, photosynthetic algae. Unfortunately, continual
negative impacts from pollution, habitat destruction and over
collecting have imperiled coral reefs worldwide. This is troubling
because coral reefs are among the richest ecosystems in the world
and support important fishing and tourist industries. As scientists
look for ways to conserve coral reefs, an important new field has
emerged. Started by hobbyists and aquarists, coral propagation has
many benefits to the overall goal of preserving coral reefs. Over
the last 20 years, innovations in aquarium science have made reef
aquariums increasingly popular and coral propagation more practical.
Advancements in filtration and the shared wealth of information on
the internet have led to a very successful aquarium and live animal
industry. At the same time, rapid air travel and increased demand
for live corals and reef creatures has increased negative pressures
on coral reefs.
Responsible aquarists
learned early on that coral propagation and reef keeping could be
managed without collecting from the wild, and small businesses and
hobbyists began to grow coral for sale and trade. Large aquariums
(including the forerunner of coral farming: the Waikiki Aquarium)
also took note and through their educational programs and access to
the public have taught the importance of coral reef conservation.
Farming corals decreases
demand for wild-collected corals and has important benefits for
scientific research and reef restoration. Because the private sector
dominated coral propagation, valuable scientific information has
been overshadowed by trade secrets and personal preferences about
growing corals. More scientific information regarding factors
affecting coral growth in closed systems would help both aquarists
and scientists investigating ways to restore reefs and maintain a
living genetic bank in case coral reefs continue their decline.
Coral physiologists also seek information on biomarkers indicative
of coral health, which provide information vital for understanding
the causes of coral bleaching and diseases. The biomedical field
also is interested in coral propagation; corals are searched for new
therapeutic agents and biomedical tools to advance medicine,
including bone regeneration. Educating the public about the delicate
balance and current worldwide decline of coral reefs also is
important to reef conservation. Disseminating information to
students and the general public about the causes of coral decline
and suggesting ways to help conserve coral reefs is just as
important as scientific research. Aquariums and marine science
centers are uniquely positioned to convey this message and to gain
public support for programs that help conserve coral reefs.
Objectives
The objectives of The Coral Propagation
Research Project are to:
- Research factors that
affect coral growth in closed systems, including lighting,
feeding strategies and seawater circulation.
- Collaborate with other
institutions interested in coral propagation to effectively
design experiments that will most benefit scientists
invstigating coral growth.
- Improve methods of
measuring coral growth, including using computerized
three-dimensional models to measure coral surface area.
- Disseminate information
collected from the project to scientists, aquarists and
hobbyists interested in coral growth via a web page dedicated to
the Coral Propagation Research Project, including detailed plans
and expenses of the project as well as current and past
experiments and results.
- Educate the public
about the importance of conserving coral reefs. The Coral
Propagation Research Project is visible to visitors from a deck
above the project and includes a 6’ x 4’ informational kiosk
that explains the project and ways to help conserve coral reefs.
The project will be used as a vehicle to teach coral
conservation and science through guided tours and outreach
programs already in place at the Marine Science Center.
Scope of work
proposed
The project is designed around two identical research tanks that
share the same sump and refugium, thereby eliminating potential
differences between tanks associated with seawater chemistry. This
design still allows comparison of coral growth under different
experimental conditions of any factor unassociated with the shared
seawater system. For instance, many different properties of lighting
affect coral growth, including duration, intensity and Kelvin
temperature. With this system, responses to different light regimes
can be compared in two different tanks that otherwise experience
identical environmental conditions. Experiments will run from two to
six months depending on the experiment and growth of the corals.
Currently, eleven different
species or subspecies of small-polyp stony corals are housed in the
research tanks. Four replicates of each coral species reside in each
tank, for a total of eight replicates of each species: 88 total
coral colonies. The present experiment compares growth under a
10,000 versus a 20,000 Kelvin metal halide bulb. The design of the
system allows conditions to be changed easily between experiments,
thereby reducing down time. Because this project will be ongoing and
will explore many propagation methods and technologies, experimental
designs can be tailored to the most important information that is
needed. The project’s research experiments will be kept open to the
designs and suggestions of scientists, students and aquarists
interested in coral growth research.
Also important is the
measurement and recording of coral growth itself. As new techniques
develop to measure coral growth, it is important to explore them and
develop the most effective methods to measure growth inside and
outside the laboratory.
Goals to be achieved
The first goal of the Coral Propagation Research Project was
completed in September of 2007, when 88 corals were purchased from
Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums (Fort Pierce, Florida) to initiate the
project. During the next month the corals were tagged and cataloged
while they acclimated to the system. The first experiment will be
completed in mid-March when data analysis will begin with help from
Dr. John Fauth from the University of Central Florida. During this
experiment, a second experiment to compare coral growth will be
designed, which will begin soon after the first experiment is
completed. During this time, we will collaborate with other
scientists and students to choose the most effective experimental
design to help scientists effectively grow corals in closed systems.
We hope to conduct 3-4 experiments per year and publish our results
within two months of each experiment’s completion. Our continuing
goal is to explore different conditions that affect coral growth and
to share this information, thereby improving the effectiveness of
growing corals in closed systems and the overall conservation of
coral reefs.
Through our educational
programs, we will improve our coral reef curriculum to include coral
biology, ecology and conservation of Florida’s coral reefs. Using
the project as a center point, we will educate our visitors and
students about the delicate balance of coral reefs through a better
understanding of their inhabitants. Working with the Volusia County
Reef Team, we are developing a field guide to the artificial and
natural reef inhabitants of Volusia County, using photographs
compiled by the Reef Team. Using this field guide, we will stress
the importance of all reef inhabitants and reef processes, including
algal grazers and reef succession. Correct identification of reef
inhabitants and conditions is critical to ensure the accuracy of
diver surveys, so reef health can be better assessed and problems
identified earlier.
For more questions or
additional information regarding the project, please contact Chad
Macfie, Head Aquarist at (386) 304-5544.
With
the decline of coral reef habitats around the world, the importance
of coral farming is becoming clear. The goal of the Coral
Propagation Research Project taking place at the MSC is to research
the most effective methods and conditions required to grow stony
corals in closed systems. Coral growth is effected by many factors
such as lighting, water flow, feeding strategies and water
chemistry. Each species of coral can differ in its needs for growth
which makes coral propagation challenging. In the past, coral
propagation has been mostly dominated by hobbyist and small business
owners, so scientific data on the most effective methods and
conditions to grow corals has been very limited. Not only does coral
farming lessen the impact of wild collected corals, but also aids
reef restoration efforts and biomedical research.