Edited by: Sarah Annalise Gignoux-Wolfsohn, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SI), United States
Reviewed by: Rebecca Certner, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United States; Valeria Pizarro, Perry Institute for Marine Science, United States
This article was submitted to Coral Reef Research, a section of the journal Frontiers in Marine Science
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
As stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) swept through the Florida Reef Tract, one of the most severely impacted species was the iconic pillar coral,
The pillar coral
Beginning in 2013–2014, baseline surveys of all known
Less than a year later, the impact of a newly emerging threat termed stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) became apparent. Originating near Miami in 2015, the disease began rapidly spreading throughout the Florida Reef Tract (
As the threat of SCTLD to the Florida
Prioritize the collection of fragments separated from other areas of live tissue by a region of dead skeleton. If possible, avoid cutting into live tissue so as not to create new potential entry points for infection.
Within a genotype, prioritize collection from a colony that does not show signs of disease. Genotypes were distinguished by either previous genetic sampling (
If only diseased colonies are available within a genotype, prioritize tissue isolates that do not show signs of disease.
As a final option, harvest any representative fragment from the parent colony in order to preserve the genotype.
Collection, preparation, and care of
The type of fragments collected depended strongly on geographic region and timeframe. Collections from colonies that could be visited before the arrival of the progressing SCTLD front to an area were generally from the first category. Collections from colonies that were within areas affected by SCTLD fell into the latter categories. In many cases, rescue efforts occurred just in time to collect the very last fragments of tissue that were actively dying of SCTLD.
Collections occurred on most known colonies within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Dry Tortugas National Park. Some collections were done in Biscayne National Park and the Southeast Florida region north of Biscayne, but many of these colonies perished before collections began and were not able to be saved (
Location of all known
Prior to these rescue efforts,
It took time to learn the proper care for the individuals, and some setbacks included early tissue recession in suboptimal conditions, an outbreak of “brown jelly syndrome” in one tank, and the loss of corals in two locations due to facility damage and extended loss of power as a result of Hurricane Irma. Survival (through 2020) of the fragments collected in 2016 was only 25%. Nevertheless, general husbandry and disease management improved rapidly, and corals collected in 2018–2019 had survival rates through 2020 of over 92%, a value which is particularly impressive considering the active SCTLD infections that many of these later acquisitions were experiencing at the time of collection.
Most collected fragments were maintained in their original orientation and size, though trimming of excess skeleton was adopted as standard practice (
In land-based facilities, all corals were mounted on tiles or molded cement bases (
Fragments with active or potential SCTLD were sent primarily to the Coral Disease Health Program’s facility in Charleston, SC. Various methods of treatment were trialed; these included traditional water changes and antiseptic dips, but also novel antibiotic water dosing which proved highly effective at halting active disease lesions (
The
Of the genotypes held as part of the
Great strides have been made in using rescued corals in sexual reproduction to create new individuals and enhance genetic diversity. Rescued
The evolution of the
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.
KLN and CL initiated the rescue project, coordinated holding partners, and managed resulting databases. KLN conducted collections primarily with assistance from other partners. KO, CW, ZR, AM, KN, and DV provided rescue facilities and advanced husbandry practices. CW, KO, KLN, and CL advanced SCTLD treatment options. KO, provided information on gemmae. KO, KLN, CL, and DV coordinated and advanced onshore spawning efforts. JM assisted with external funding and some field coordination. KLN prepared the manuscript with assistance and editing from all authors.
The scientific results and conclusions, as well as any views or opinions expressed herein, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of NOAA or the Department of Commerce.
Five authors were employed by non-governmental or academic companies: KO (Florida Aquarium), ZR (Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science), DV (Plant a Million Corals), AM (Coral Restoration Foundation), and KN (Reef Renewal). The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
We are grateful to the many people who helped with collections and care of fragments. These include collection teams from Nova Southeastern University, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Keys Marine Laboratory, Florida Aquarium’s Center for Conservation, Mote Marine Lab, Coral Restoration Foundation, and the National Park Service. Extensive coral care was conducted by teams at Florida Aquarium, Frost Museum of Science, NOAA NOS Coral Health and Disease Program (particularly Carl Miller and Zachary Moffitt), Florida Institute of Oceanography at Keys Marine Laboratory, Coral Restoration Foundation, and Mote Marine Lab. Collections were conducted and corals held under Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary permits FKNMS-2015-156 and FKNMS-2016-121, and by Florida permit SAL-19-2142-SCRP. This is contribution #283 from the Coastlines and Oceans Division of the Institute of Environment at Florida International University.