Saving the Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue of Florida’s Pillar Corals
As stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) swept through the Florida Reef Tract, one of the most severely impacted species was the iconic pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus. As the species’ population experienced a precipitous decline, a collaborative rescue project collected colony fragments for sa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.657429/full |
| _version_ | 1818652142893793280 |
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| author | Karen L. Neely Cynthia L. Lewis Keri O’Neil Cheryl M. Woodley Jennifer Moore Zach Ransom Amelia Moura Ken Nedimyer David Vaughan |
| author_facet | Karen L. Neely Cynthia L. Lewis Keri O’Neil Cheryl M. Woodley Jennifer Moore Zach Ransom Amelia Moura Ken Nedimyer David Vaughan |
| author_sort | Karen L. Neely |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) swept through the Florida Reef Tract, one of the most severely impacted species was the iconic pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus. As the species’ population experienced a precipitous decline, a collaborative rescue project collected colony fragments for safekeeping at onshore and offshore nursery facilities. Between 2015 and 2019, a total of 574 fragments representing 128 genotypes were collected. These are currently dispersed among five facilities where they continue to provide opportunities to (1) refine best husbandry practices for D. cylindrus, (2) develop treatment options for SCTLD that have been adapted for use on other species, (3) maximize growth and fragmentation to provide the live tissue needed for eventual restoration, and (4) provide a source of parent colonies for assisted sexual reproduction and new genetic diversity. With the wild pillar coral population in Florida at the end of 2020 at less than 6% of its known 2014 population and continuing to decline, the rescued ex situ colonies represent the entirety of the restoration potential for this species in Florida. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T02:17:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-65d2724e11874f3590ac6a40067b76cf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T02:17:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-65d2724e11874f3590ac6a40067b76cf2022-12-21T22:07:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452021-07-01810.3389/fmars.2021.657429657429Saving the Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue of Florida’s Pillar CoralsKaren L. Neely0Cynthia L. Lewis1Keri O’Neil2Cheryl M. Woodley3Jennifer Moore4Zach Ransom5Amelia Moura6Ken Nedimyer7David Vaughan8Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, FL, United StatesFlorida Keys Marine Laboratory, Florida Institute of Oceanography, Long Key, FL, United StatesCenter for Conservation, Florida Aquarium, Apollo Beach, FL, United StatesNOAA National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Charleston, SC, United StatesNOAA Fisheries, St. Petersburg, FL, United StatesPhillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Miami, FL, United StatesCoral Restoration Foundation, Key Largo, FL, United StatesReef Renewal, Tavernier, FL, United StatesPlant A Million Corals Foundation, Summerland Key, FL, United StatesAs stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) swept through the Florida Reef Tract, one of the most severely impacted species was the iconic pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus. As the species’ population experienced a precipitous decline, a collaborative rescue project collected colony fragments for safekeeping at onshore and offshore nursery facilities. Between 2015 and 2019, a total of 574 fragments representing 128 genotypes were collected. These are currently dispersed among five facilities where they continue to provide opportunities to (1) refine best husbandry practices for D. cylindrus, (2) develop treatment options for SCTLD that have been adapted for use on other species, (3) maximize growth and fragmentation to provide the live tissue needed for eventual restoration, and (4) provide a source of parent colonies for assisted sexual reproduction and new genetic diversity. With the wild pillar coral population in Florida at the end of 2020 at less than 6% of its known 2014 population and continuing to decline, the rescued ex situ colonies represent the entirety of the restoration potential for this species in Florida.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.657429/fullpillar coralDendrogyra cylindruscoral rescuestony coral tissue loss diseasegemmapropagation |
| spellingShingle | Karen L. Neely Cynthia L. Lewis Keri O’Neil Cheryl M. Woodley Jennifer Moore Zach Ransom Amelia Moura Ken Nedimyer David Vaughan Saving the Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue of Florida’s Pillar Corals Frontiers in Marine Science pillar coral Dendrogyra cylindrus coral rescue stony coral tissue loss disease gemma propagation |
| title | Saving the Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue of Florida’s Pillar Corals |
| title_full | Saving the Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue of Florida’s Pillar Corals |
| title_fullStr | Saving the Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue of Florida’s Pillar Corals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Saving the Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue of Florida’s Pillar Corals |
| title_short | Saving the Last Unicorns: The Genetic Rescue of Florida’s Pillar Corals |
| title_sort | saving the last unicorns the genetic rescue of florida s pillar corals |
| topic | pillar coral Dendrogyra cylindrus coral rescue stony coral tissue loss disease gemma propagation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.657429/full |
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