08 Dec Planting coral could save…
Planting coral could save Great Barrier Reef from climate change, say scientists
Humans could save the Great Barrier Reef from global warming by transplanting corals that survive heat stress, say scientists.
A new joint study by the Australian institute of marine science (AIMS) in Townsville and the University of Texas has found a genetic basis for tolerance of higher temperatures in coral.
The discovery could pave the way for manmade colonies of coral bred to adapt to hotter oceans, according to the researchers.
University of Texas biologist Mikhail Matz said: “Averting coral extinction begin with something as simple as exchange of coral immigrants across latitudes, which … can be jump-started by humans moving adult corals”.
“This is occasion for hope and optimism about coral reefs and the marine life that thrive there,” Matz said.
AIMS evolutionary ecologist Line Bay said the discovery was a boon to “understanding of the potential for coral on the Great Barrier Reef to cope with hotter oceans”.
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