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Description:
Project Manager:
Cheryl Woodley
Project Years:
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Project Summary:
The CDHC is unique in CRCP, drawing from public health and medicine to address coral conservation challenges. Activities of the CDHC cross-cut multiple Pillars because each represents important physical, chemical and biological interactions that influence coral health and disease outcomes. The project goals are to: foster innovative technology development and transfer, while building capacity via training and contributing to a community searchable repository (DataOne.org); conduct laboratory and field investigations to identify at-risk and resilient populations, while pinpointing environmental drivers that affect coral fitness and promote disease; and use these data to support managers in threat reduction, mitigation and/or restoration activities.Our FY24-26 research activities focus on intervention priorities R3.2, R3.3 within the Restoration Pillar, prioritized in NOAA’s response to the NAS reports, the Acropora Recovery Implementation Plan and coral disease, prioritized in the SCTLD Implementation Plan, CRCP R4.2 and jurisdictional priorities for FL, USVI and HI. Activities also address LBSP Pillar priorities related to water quality and interactions with physical factors, i.e., pH and temperature, in the Climate Pillar. Laboratory exposure-response studies are planned for nutrients and chemical pollutants to address regional and national water quality priorities “L1.2 Provide technical assistance and scientific support to management agencies in establishing water quality targets for sediments and/or nutrients and/or conducting baseline characterizations for key watersheds” and water quality priorities for Florida, AS, Guam, HI and PR.Focal areas for FY24-26 are 1) coral disease research; 2) ex situ coral culture and reproduction, as a renewable resource for experimentation, 3) developing toxicity thresholds for nutrients and chemical pollutants that are protective of ESA coral and 4) assisting with curation of a searchable data repository. Disease research and response coordination remains a high priority for this project and we expect to continue activities related to SCTLD diagnostics/prognostic exploration, will be able to pivot to new disease outbreaks, such as that reported for Acropora in FL. Reproductive dysfunction, reproductive compatibility, and genotype vigor are major impediments to the health of coral populations and biodiversity, recovery of ESA listed corals, and successful restoration efforts. We are continuing research activities that will explore novel approaches for coral diagnostics (e.g., epigenetics, glycans, liquid biopsies). We are continuing to outfit our new coral culture space for ex situ sexual reproduction of key coral species. The ability to acquire early life stage specimens will bolster our complement of research specimens, while also providing a renewable research resource.
Expected Outcome:
1) Technology development and optimization. The development and application of new diagnostic assays will allow interrogation of reproductive condition, gamete quality, function and physiologic condition. Knowing whether corals have the ability to recover, such as from a pollutant, if removed, or specific area remediation is required, is an important distinction for managers and how recovery activities are planned and executed. Disease intervention is critical in providing managers with options to respond to coral disease outbreaks, novel therapeutics and delivery mechanisms will provide better management options, particularly for ESA species in danger of local extinction. 2) Understanding environmental drivers in physiological and reproductive impairments. This objective provides quantitative biological-effects data for reef environments to determine if they contain toxic substances and if so what are the toxicity thresholds. Various bioassays (e.g., urchin embryo toxicity assay, mutagenicity, endocrine disruption) will be used to determine developmental impacts and mortality from toxicants present, while the mutagen or epigenic screening assays will determine if polluted sites have potential genotoxic effects. These bioassays are expected to provide more precise information as to the threat-potential at the sampled locations and provide science to support targeted management actions. 3) Laboratory studies for restoration enhancement. Data obtained from this work assists with understanding differential responses to environmental, pollutant and disease challenges and in practical applications, such as selection of coral nursery stocks or out-plantings for genetic compatibility, can improve the design of coral nurseries and in the outcome of restoration activities. We also will optimize coral culture conditions to promote ex situ reproduction for captive ESA-listed species to provide research specimens for early life stage research needs. 4) Education and outreach. We continually support onsite or virtual training and electronic media (e.g., videos, web). In addition, we host student interns, mentor M.S. students and provide postdoctoral training opportunities in coral health and disease issues (e.g., proteomics). This proposal supports National goals of reef resilience and threat-reduction, mitigation and restoration goals as articulated in multiple recovery, restoration and disease implementation plans and provides briefings to end-users and stakeholders as needed.
Project Locations:
- International Wider Caribbean
- Florida
- Hawaii
Jursdiction Priority Sites:
- St. Croix East End Marine Park
- St. Thomas East End Reserve
- Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative
Project Category:
Restoration
Project Status:
Ongoing
Associated Products:
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