Halper, E. (2018, July 09). Racing to save Florida’s coral from climate change, scientists turn to a once-unthinkable strategy: ‘assisted evolution’. Retrieved July 17, 2018, from http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-na-pol-coral-climate-change-20180709-htmlstory.html

In the Florida Keys, marine biologists used to do their research around the coral reef in order to not disturb it, but they are now trying to change the natural balance of the reef to prevent global warming from making the reef go extinct. This is called assisted evolution, and scientists are cutting off coral microfragments, strengthening them in the lab, and replanting them in the ocean. Another method of restoration is where scuba divers hang small corals on artificial trees made of plastic pipes in an underwater nursery. The corals nourish themselves and then are replanted.

95% of the coral reef tract has already died. The coral are not able to come back on their own, so these methods scientists are using to strengthen the coral is necessary to prevent extinction. If these new methods are successful, they can rebuild a vital part of the ecosystem and lead to research that can help reduce the impact of climate change on other parts of the ecosystem. Scientists will not be able to use these methods to bring back every coral that has died, but the goal is to promote natural recovery.