Abstract Summary
Interventions to save coral reefs are deemed critical and urgent to protect these exceptional ecosystems and those who depend on them. Increasing losses in ecosystem services including coastal protection, fisheries resources, and support for tourism and cultural practices have demonstrated the need for well designed and implemented restoration programs. New molecular tools in the disciplines of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and transcriptomics can help guide restoration activities and provide a basis for evaluating program efficacy. Criteria for the selection of wild and brood stock and the cultivation of resistant variants that can survive anthropogenic stressors is essential for the success of restoration efforts and associated interventions. Protein expression is a valuable tool for diagnosing specific local stressors of highest concern, and the genotypes of corals most likely to survive. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) databases are now usable to help guide interventions for corals. Genetic analyses can determine those genotypes with inherent resistance to individual and multiple stressors, and transcriptomic data can provide critical information on gene expression in response to changing environmental conditions. The Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay provide an appropriate set of sites for the testing and application of techniques. To make the most of limited financial, institutional and human resources that can be devoted to coral reef restoration, the application of emerging molecular tools can be foundational in the design, implementation and evaluation of such activities.
