In a lab trial, the world’s first with Great Barrier Reef coral, scientists used the cryomesh to freeze coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS).
Key points
- The coral had been collected from the reef for the trial, which coincided with the brief annual spawning window.
- Scientists hope that storing coral larvae could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by climate change. Cryogenically frozen coral can be stored and later reintroduced to the wild.
- Spanning 2,253 kilometres along the coast of northeast Australia, the massive underwater jungle is one of the great wonders of the natural world.
- The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years including the first ever bleach during a La Nina phenomenon, which typically brings cooler temperatures.
- The mesh technology will help store coral larvae at -196C (-320.8°F).
About corals
- According to the NOAA, corals are animals, though, because they do not make their own food, as plants do. Corals have tiny, tentacle-like arms that they use to capture their food from the water and sweep into their inscrutable mouths.
- Corals exhibit characteristics of plants, but are marine animals that are related to jellyfish and anemones. Coral polyps, the animals primarily responsible for building reefs, can take many forms: large reef building colonies, graceful flowing fans, and even small, solitary organisms.
- Shallow water, reef-building corals have a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae, which live in their tissues.
