[Coral-List] Scientists from Rio Grande do Sul/ RS, South Extreme of Brazil, create "test tube coral" to repopulate destroyed reef areas. II. Additional informations !

[Ignacio Agudo]

Dear collegues & friends,

Continuing with some additional recent information, ... scientists estimate
that half of the planet's coral reefs have already died and the prognosis
for the rest is not the most optimistic. If nothing is done to contain
global warming, more than 90% of them could be at critical risk of
extinction by 2050, according to a report from the World Resources
Institute (WRI).

“... Each year, mortality on coral reefs becomes more intense. The idea of
the project is to work on proposals to counteract this destruction and
create tools that guarantee the perpetuity of species in a scenario in
which the ocean is increasingly hotter ...”, says the project's technical
coordinator, "Leandro Cesar de Godoy", specialized in biotechnologies
applied to the reproduction of aquatic organisms and professor at the
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), one of the few scientists
in the world who study cryogenics (conservation of life at low
temperatures) with a focus on the conservation of corals.

The research is divided into two parts: freezing gametes – which are the
sex cells of corals (sperm and eggs) – and artificial fertilization in the
laboratory. The objective is to understand the details of these cells and
develop specific freezing, thawing and reproduction protocols for each
coral species. Initially, studies are being carried out with "Mussimilia
harttii", a species of coral that exists only in Brazil.

“We have around 40 species of shallow water corals in the country. However,
stony corals, which are those that form a calcium carbonate skeleton, are
only 17. Among these, there are four species of brain corals belonging to
the genus "Mussimilia" that are the main builders of reefs on the Brazilian
coast. The species "M. harttii" was also chosen because it is already on
the list of endangered species.”

"Mussimilia harttii" is a hermaphrodite species – that is, the same
individual produces eggs and sperm –, with a reproductive peak between the
months of September and November. It is during this window that researchers
go into the field, on the south coast of Bahia, and collect specimens of
the animal. These are taken to nurseries at the Living Coral Research Base,
where they are kept in the same sea conditions until they begin the
spawning process.

Animal reproduction is associated with the New Moon phase. In this way,
researchers are able to estimate, with certain precision, when the gametes
will be released. They are released by the corals inside an enclosure (like
a capsule) about 1.5 centimeters in diameter. Each of these “capsules”
contains billions of sperm and hundreds of eggs .........

.... _@/"
Additional (Portuguese Brazil) new journalistic report:
https://ciclovivo.com.br/inovacao/tecnologia/brasil-tecnologia-pioneira-corais-de-proveta/?fbclid=IwAR0m5GLlnbaIebisXG4vbWBlhI6QAPUvyy3qTCVxGxvkZFnGkaEd9dCiNqw


_@/"
Previous journalistic report presented:
https://g1.globo.com/rs/rio-grande-do-sul/noticia/2023/12/27/cientistas-do-rs-criam-coral-de-proveta-para-repovoar-areas-de-recifes-destruidas.ghtml?fbclid=IwAR1zkJ0FkhMdd720Badjci1lAkbljpYYZP9lQv6UwANQLLE9li5UM25UI6I

Renewed best regards ... and Happy New Year 2024,

IGNACIO AGUDO
Latin American Cnidarian Network Member Brazil
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1391001107824116/posts/2772336899690523


-- 
*A. Ignacio Agudo-Padrón*
Geographer, Environmental Researcher Malacologist
*CEO & Manager Editor **AM Platform*
Project "Avulsos Malacológicos - AM"
Southern Brazil  *_@/"*
Caixa Postal (P.O. Box) 22008, AC Dias Velho,
Jardim Atlântico, Florianópolis,
CEP 88095971, Santa Catarina/ SC,
Brasil
E-mail: ignacioagudo at gmail.com
Curriculum: http://lattes.cnpq.br/3951358740536805
Website: http://noticias-malacologicas-am.webnode.pt/
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http://issuu.com/espacocientificolivre/docs/moluscosesaudepublicaemsantacatarina
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9073-9049
ResearchGate - Contributions:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aisur_Agudo-Padron/publications?sorting=newest