X-Reefs

Led by Dr. Andrew Baker, Professor of Marine Biology and Ecology and Director of @CoralReefFuture, the team collected DNA samples and live coral fragments for study and breeding. After a 15-hour journey, the live coral colonies safely arrived at Miami International Airport and were transported to the Rosenstiel School’s coral hatchery. From there, seven elkhorn colonies made their way to our Coral Conservation and Research Center in Apollo Beach.️ Keri O’Neil, our Director and Senior Scientist, shared, "Transporting reproductively sized corals internationally is no small undertaking, and we are thrilled that UM has trusted us with this precious cargo. These corals are a critical step to help us understand heat tolerance in elkhorn corals, to protect genetic diversity from across the population, and to learn how we can breed a stronger generation.” Once settled and monitored for any signs of disease or pests, the Honduran elkhorn corals will join our system designed to promote spawning based on environmental cues. With some luck, we hope these new arrivals will spawn alongside our Florida elkhorn corals, allowing cross-fertilization from the different regions. 🌞🌙 Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting new development to revitalize our reef! 💙

🪸 In the world's first attempt to enhance coral heat tolerance through international breeding efforts, our scientists and @MiamiRosenstiel are on a groundbreaking mission. The goal? To find new coral parents in Tela Bay, off the coast of Honduras, to breed with Florida corals, creating heat-tolerant and disease-resistant baby corals!

@coralprof @ToriLinder_ @LOUISAGUIRRE @MayorDaniella @MiamiDadeCounty @NOAA_AOML Funded by @DARPA, the @X_Reefs project at @CoralReefFuture's Lab drew a crowd as Fabrizio Lepiz Conejo, a Ph.D. student at @MiamiRosenstiel, demonstrates a new approach to designing #ArtificialReefs🔹This model shows how coastlines can be more resilient to flood damage.