In a state-of-the-art facility in the Bahamas, conservationists are working to breed and preserve Caribbean corals under threat from bleaching and disease.
The Bahamas is a coral reef hotspot and annually reefs contribute an estimated $671 million in tourism and $23.5 million to fisheries to the economy, and provide coastal protection.
Gimel Morley, lead coral aquarist at the Perry Institute for Marine Science says she is helping to set up a coral gene bank (collection of genetic material) in order to preserve vital coral biodiversity.
“We will be recreating their life-cycle and preserving them through live corals,” she says, “This will happen with the use of artificial grow lights and water quality controls and in the future, I hope to move to the stage where we can cryopreserve coral sperm and coral larvae.”
Morley explains that there although there are multiple coral gene banks in the USA and Australia, the gene bank in the Bahamas will focus on preserving coral species unique to Bahamian waters, some of which are under threat from Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease which arrived in the Caribbean in 2019.
“To tackle this challenge, the gene bank is being established to preserve samples of the most vulnerable SCTLD coral species; this gene bank will enhance regional genetic diversity and provide a backup for in-situ conservation, increasing the chances of successful reef restoration in local contexts,” she says, adding that through international collaborations, the Bahamian facility aims to advance research and data-sharing efforts related to coral preservation.
Morley explains that coral cover is crucial to The Bahamas as it supports tourism, provides hurricane protection for the coastlines, and sustains our fisheries industry.
“It also provides a livelihood for many Bahamians, particularly those on our outer islands,” she says, “Researching and protecting our reef is important for our communities to sustain their way of life.”
Growing up in the Bahamas
Morley grew up in the Bahamas and says the ocean was a constant presence in her life but also loved watching things grow, like plants in the yard and the family pets.
“My childhood was filled with summers snorkeling in the beach’s shallow waters, and marveling at the vibrant marine life,” she says, “I loved going to the beach and snorkeling with my family and friends, but I never thought it would become my career.”
After completing her undergraduate studies, and a master’s degree in aquaculture, Morley worked on an aquaponics farm raising tilapia fish and says this experience was instrumental in developing her understanding of aquatic ecosystems and the intricacies of balancing different species within them.
Morley explains that the opportunity to work on the coral genebank on her home island and hone her skills was a chance occurrence.
“A friend who worked in conservation told me about the project while we were on the beach teaching interns how to swim and I applied the next day,” she says.
Morley explains that it is crucial for scientists from the Global South to take the lead in investigating solutions to global challenges because they have the most at stake in what is happening to our countries.
“We are directly affected by whatever outcomes occur,” she says, adding that the coral gene bank project also provides researchers with more elements of conservation that the conservationists can teach the public about.
“When we have the facility operational, we can bring in interns and motivate more Bahamians to pursue careers in marine science and aquaculture,” she says.
Bouncing Back From Bleaching
Far-away in Hawaii, a marine biologist from Brazil is studying the microscopic zooxanthellae algae that live within coral to see to what extent it can help reefs bounce back from bleaching.
Due to climate change, coral mass bleaching events have increased five-fold since the 1980s, with an over half of the world’s coral reefs estimated have died in the last 30 years.
Mariana Rocha de Souza, a postdoctoral researcher and coral reef biologist at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology explains that during a bleaching event, not all corals die and scientists think that how resistant they are could be linked to zooxanthellae, a microscopic algae that live within coral, turning sunlight into food for its host.
“There are many species of zooxanthellae and some provide resilience for the corals under heat stress,” she says, “This means that if the corals host these heat resilient algae they bleach less.”
In a 2023 study, Rocha de Souza and colleagues looked at 600 Montipora capitata coral colonies in Hawaii and compared the algal symbiont composition before and after a 2019 bleaching event.
“My research is part of the initial and critical step in this research: to thoroughly understand the diversity and distribution of symbionts hosted by various coral species under a range of environmental conditions,” she says, adding that this involves identifying which symbionts are naturally associated with specific corals and how these relationships change in response to varying factors such as temperature, light, and water quality.
Rocha de Souza explains that by understanding these complex interactions, researchers can better assess which symbionts are most effective in enhancing coral tolerance to heat and other stressors, laying the groundwork for targeted interventions to bolster coral resilience.
“Resilience to heat stress can also be driven by other factors such as coral genetics, coral species, and the long term exposure to different environmental conditions,” she says.
