[Coral-List] Coral Reefs Optimism

Mon Aug 14 17:40:28 UTC 2023

Dear Austin and Coral listers,

It is positive that coral spawning observations have coincided with high
temperatures, coral bleaching and events of morbidity and mortality in the
Florida Keys
https://twitter.com/livwilliamson/status/1688964220321206280

The reason to worry about of course is that Planulae are even more
sensitive to high temperatures than adults (Bassim, K., & Sammarco, P.
(2003). Effects of temperature and ammonium on larval development and
survivorship in a scleractinian coral (Diploria strigosa). *Marine Biology*
, *142*, 241-252).

Cumulative stressors should stop at least during this period of hot spots
in summer time. For experiments, you should know that adding more stress to
stressed corals is resulting in even worse scenarios. So it would be easier
in practical common sense to avoid further stress such as exposing corals
to hot air, breaking them in small parts, etc.

We can become more optimistic in the long run, when the daily activities of
the coral-listers are coherent with what we learned from science, by
recommending
how to improve local and global (Reducing threats including avoiding
promoting coral reef destruction and stopping gas emissions that produce
climate change) coral reef conservation effectiveness.

We are waiting to listen more from Dr. Liv Williamson about the success of
the coral spawning in Florida.

We will also hope to get near future reports from natural recruitment
success in the wild from the Florida Keys. Natural recruitment is an
indicator of resilience (Galvis 2001)
https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/umrsmas/bullmar/2001/00000069/00000002/art00047

Cordial greetings,

Nohora Galvis
ICRS World Reef Award Winner
ICRO Transdisciplinary Researcher
International Coral Reef Observatory
Follow us on Facebook.com/ICRObservatory
on Twitter / Instagram / YouTube  ICR_Observatory

El sáb, 12 ago 2023 a las 0:15, Austin Bowden-Kerby (<abowdenkerby at gmail.com>)
escribió:

> Dear Nohora,
>
> Thanks for sharing.  We all really do need a ray of hope right now!  But I
> am not sure that we should be celebrating coral spawning right now.  I
> tried to be optimistic, but I just saw some photos of badly bleached and
> sickly looking Acropora palmata spawning in Cuba and my heart just sank!
> How in the world will those severely impacted colonies recover?
> We already know that reproduction takes a lot of energy and slows coral
> growth, and that disease rates can increase after reproductive stress.  So
> this begs the question: will the bleached coral colonies that spawn have
> higher mortality than those which don't spawn?   In simple terms, will
> these badly bleached corals spawn themselves to death?
>
> While we can hope that the added stress of spawning does not result in
> increased death due to bleaching, logic tells us otherwise. This is the
> sort of data we need to get right now, while we can.  If this hypothesis
> turns out to be true, it will be important to our adaptation strategies.
> For example, we might routinely fragment some corals of every genotype
> every year, at the start of the cool season, to keep them smaller and in
> juvenile condition, so that they maintain their youthful vigor and do not
> undergo reproductive-induced stress on top of heat stress.  This might over
> time help prevent the extinction of genotypes, especially if combined with
> other strategies like translocation to cooler areas, shading, and perhaps
> probiotics and other measures.
>
> While these are very sad and worrying times, we need to learn as much as
> we can as fast as we can, because the corals need us to help them survive
> into the next century and in a diverse condition, so that reproduction and
> natural recovery processes can be restored during cooler years, and
> hopefully cooler times.  The older models of restoration that we followed
> for the past 30 years are no longer appropriate, we have entered a new more
> critical phase.  We must now begin to treat every coral species as being in
> critical danger of extinction over the coming 2-3 decades.  Extinction
> proceeds along a sequence: first ecologically, then reproductively, and
> lastly biologically.  Many coral species are already on this spectrum in
> many countries.
>
> Again my analogy: when the firestorm approaches, tree planting for
> reforestation stops, and the distraught foresters rush around frantically-
> to gather as much diversity as possible, and to keep these precious species
> secure for better days to come.  This is what must happen right now in the
> Caribbean with the corals.  Just like with an approaching firestorm or
> hurricane, there is no such thing as over-preparation- you either
> over-prepare or you under-prepare and get wiped out.  It is so sad that the
> precious Hawaiian archives collections stored in Lahaina were all burnt
> up!   Our precious genetic resources face this sort of firestorm now in the
> Caribbean. We really do not know how bad it will get, but we have until
> November to find out..... and so I would prepare for something as bad as
> what is happening to Florida everywhere in the Caribbean.  If not this
> year, then when?
>
> The same preparedness should apply to all coral reefs everywhere.  I am
> wondering how long will people continue to live the myth that just because
> their particular reef has done so well over repeated bleaching events so
> far, recovering quickly after past devastation, that they are somehow
> immune to systemic collapse from what is coming.  38C in the nearshore and
> shallow lagoons would kill off your most adapted coral populations
> everywhere, and we now know that temperature is possible.  For reefs with
> wide reef shelves and with strong thermal gradients, local translocation of
> heat adapted corals from their warm habitats out to cooler waters is not
> only possible, but it is relatively easy.  We need such a coral-focused
> adaptation strategy based on preventative measures and forecasting into the
> coming decades, otherwise the firestorm will eventually arrive and it will
> be too late!
>
> We are actively doing this in our two Fiji sites with strong thermal
> gradients. This is a more realistic optimism: that the heat adapted corals
> we have already moved will be secure in their cooler environment, so that
> they will survive into the next century- because the open ocean is not
> predicted to get to 33-34C!
>
> This is our new launching video, for all who want to join us in a global,
> coral-focused climate change adaptation effort.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnJ-eUVJwqE
> We can not wait any longer!
>
> Regards to all, and thanks for everything that you do to save the corals!
>
> Austin
>
>
> Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
> Corals for Conservation
> P.O. Box 4649 Samabula, Fiji Islands  strategies:
>
> On Sat, Aug 12, 2023 at 1:11 AM International Coral Reef Observatory via
> Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
>
>> Dear Colleagues,
>>
>> Good news from Corals Spawning by Dr.
>> Liv Williamson, Ph.D.
>> <https://twitter.com/livwilliamson>
>> <https://twitter.com/livwilliamson>
>> @livwilliamson
>> <https://twitter.com/livwilliamson>:
>>
>> From Orbicella faveolata at Horseshoe Reef last night!
>> https://twitter.com/livwilliamson/status/1689405494782214144
>>
>> Acropora cervicoris on August 5 2023 in Key Largo
>> https://twitter.com/livwilliamson/status/1687856448037064704
>>
>> A ray of hope: surprisingly robust spawning on 8/2 and 8/3 from both
>> Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata at North Dry Rocks, despite
>> extensive paling, bleaching, & tissue loss/mortality. August 4 2023
>> https://twitter.com/livwilliamson/status/1687570354569363458
>>
>> In situ (Florida Keys) Observations reported in Spanish
>> https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=664918835669508&set=a.457741103053950
>>
>> Nohora Galvis
>> ICRS World Reef Award Winner
>> ICRO Transdisciplinary Researcher
>> International Coral Reef Observatory
>> Follow us on Facebook.com/ICRObservatory
>> on Twitter / Instagram / YouTube  ICR_Observatory
>> _______________________________________________
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>> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>>
>