btuck
Well-known member
I read this in todays Indianapolis Star, just curious about others opinions.
July 31, 2005
A pinch of salt may aid coral growth
Researcher says raising water's salinity forces the species to sprout more quickly.
By Sam Kean
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS -- The key to saving coral, a crucial oceanic species, could lie in a Midwestern aquarium.
By exposing embryonic coral cells to concentrated salt water, researchers at St. Louis' World Aquarium have been able to accelerate the growth of this notoriously sluggish species.
"With this rate of growth, we think coral-reef growth can be dramatically altered across the planet," said Leonard Sonnenschein, president of the World Aquarium.
Philippe Cousteau, president of the environmental advocacy group EarthEcho International, said growing coral in captivity is "very cutting-edge stuff."
Coral reefs, including Australia's noted Great Barrier Reef, sustain much of the world's tropical-sea ecology. Reefs not only house a third of all marine species, but they also anchor soil to prevent underwater erosion and produce algae that form the base of oceanic food pyramids.
Coastal development, increased pollution and commercial activities such as fishing and snorkeling have endangered more than three-fourths of the world's coral reefs, ecologists estimate.
This has spurred worldwide efforts to preserve them. Or better, regrow them, which is where Sonnenschein's patented process comes in.
First, he submerges coral stem cells in a plastic bag with concentrated salt water, which he compares to a slap in the cellular face.
The salinity is not much greater than that of sea water -- about the amount of salt added to a margarita. But to cells, this extra pinch is a nasty shock. To counteract it, they go into overdrive.
The innovation is what happens next. When the coral cells are placed in a tank of normal sea water, instead of relaxing, they retain high metabolic activity as they mature.
Research intern Elizabeth Smith notes that the treated coral burgeon and bloom more fully than untreated counterparts.
Ideally, scientists will nurse the coral -- which come in three styles: hard, soft and "leather" -- in the lab before transferring them to existing reefs.
David Vaughan, executive director of coral reef research for Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida, said any rehabilitation projects would occur in three steps.
First, scientists must form a "gene bank" for endangered coral. "It's like how a zoo is a bank for threatened species," he said.
Next, scientists would propagate the species in the lab. Some species of coral grow only a millimeter per year, and even quick sprouters add less than an inch. Vaughan said it's like a forest growing in slow motion. Sonnenschein's process could facilitate this phase.
The third step, transferring the coral to living reefs, is the trickiest, Vaughan said. He noted that coral are sensitive to light and water temperature and that even in perfect environments coral compete with each other.
Cousteau echoed Vaughan's caveats. Although "very excited" about the results, "it is still to be proven on a mass scale."
Before any potential field work begins, the World Aquarium researchers must finish analyzing data and then optimize the technique for different species.
My concern is the coral wouldn't retain the same structural strength as it would growing at a normal rate. So there is a possibility that corals grow faster but would break easier and not withstand the rigors of the ocean.
July 31, 2005
A pinch of salt may aid coral growth
Researcher says raising water's salinity forces the species to sprout more quickly.
By Sam Kean
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS -- The key to saving coral, a crucial oceanic species, could lie in a Midwestern aquarium.
By exposing embryonic coral cells to concentrated salt water, researchers at St. Louis' World Aquarium have been able to accelerate the growth of this notoriously sluggish species.
"With this rate of growth, we think coral-reef growth can be dramatically altered across the planet," said Leonard Sonnenschein, president of the World Aquarium.
Philippe Cousteau, president of the environmental advocacy group EarthEcho International, said growing coral in captivity is "very cutting-edge stuff."
Coral reefs, including Australia's noted Great Barrier Reef, sustain much of the world's tropical-sea ecology. Reefs not only house a third of all marine species, but they also anchor soil to prevent underwater erosion and produce algae that form the base of oceanic food pyramids.
Coastal development, increased pollution and commercial activities such as fishing and snorkeling have endangered more than three-fourths of the world's coral reefs, ecologists estimate.
This has spurred worldwide efforts to preserve them. Or better, regrow them, which is where Sonnenschein's patented process comes in.
First, he submerges coral stem cells in a plastic bag with concentrated salt water, which he compares to a slap in the cellular face.
The salinity is not much greater than that of sea water -- about the amount of salt added to a margarita. But to cells, this extra pinch is a nasty shock. To counteract it, they go into overdrive.
The innovation is what happens next. When the coral cells are placed in a tank of normal sea water, instead of relaxing, they retain high metabolic activity as they mature.
Research intern Elizabeth Smith notes that the treated coral burgeon and bloom more fully than untreated counterparts.
Ideally, scientists will nurse the coral -- which come in three styles: hard, soft and "leather" -- in the lab before transferring them to existing reefs.
David Vaughan, executive director of coral reef research for Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida, said any rehabilitation projects would occur in three steps.
First, scientists must form a "gene bank" for endangered coral. "It's like how a zoo is a bank for threatened species," he said.
Next, scientists would propagate the species in the lab. Some species of coral grow only a millimeter per year, and even quick sprouters add less than an inch. Vaughan said it's like a forest growing in slow motion. Sonnenschein's process could facilitate this phase.
The third step, transferring the coral to living reefs, is the trickiest, Vaughan said. He noted that coral are sensitive to light and water temperature and that even in perfect environments coral compete with each other.
Cousteau echoed Vaughan's caveats. Although "very excited" about the results, "it is still to be proven on a mass scale."
Before any potential field work begins, the World Aquarium researchers must finish analyzing data and then optimize the technique for different species.
My concern is the coral wouldn't retain the same structural strength as it would growing at a normal rate. So there is a possibility that corals grow faster but would break easier and not withstand the rigors of the ocean.
