Once largely abundant throughout the Florida Keys and Caribbean, Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata populations have drastically declined (>98% at some locations) due to multiple, compounding natural and anthropogenic stressors. As these threats continue, there is a clear need for innovative method...

To date coral restoration has focused disproportionately on branching species in large scale outplanting projects. These species are chosen because they fragment readily, have fast growth rates, and cover large areas in short periods of time. Unfortunately these traits are linked to species suscepti...

Current research has shown strong differences within species between coral colonies in their resistance to bleaching temperatures. Sources of variation range from the symbiont, acclimation by the host, adaptation by the host and microbiome. New efforts in the Pacific show that choosing heat resistan...

Assisted migration of corals over latitudinal gradients has been proposed as a strategy for increasing coral thermotolerance, but is currently considered high-risk, due to the potential for the unwanted introduction of pathogens or invasive species, and genetic risks such as outbreeding depression. ...

Plastic production has been continually growing worldwide due to its high durability, low cost, and light weight. Microplastics are either intentionally created, or derived from larger plastic sources via mechanical, photolytic, or chemical degradation. Microplastics can adsorb contaminants and pers...

The risk of flooding is increasing for coastal cities around the world and there is great interest in identifying effective solutions that reduce it. It is increasingly clear that natural defenses such as mangroves and reefs can play significant roles in coastal protection and these are particularly...

Panel discussion.

Nurseries are limited in the numbers of coral genets (fragments originating from the same colony) they can propagate, raising questions as to whether the genetic diversity of natural populations is adequately represented, and whether sexual propagation of these limited individuals will result in exc...

Guam’s coral reefs were impacted by widespread bleaching during four of the last five years, an extreme frequency that may become ubiquitous due to continued ocean warming. About half of the island’s staghorn Acropora spp. died between 2013 and 2015 as a result of bleaching and extreme low tides...

Ocean acidification (OA) can lead to dissolution of coral skeletons as well as impacting general health and physiology. This can be detrimental to ongoing coral restoration efforts. Seagrass meadows, sometimes found adjacent to coral reefs, are mostly net autotrophic as a carbon sink and use excess ...

Measuring the performance of coral phenotypes can link genotypes to their environment, potentially allowing practitioners to cultivate species and genotypes that are particularly well suited for restoration projects. Yet, performance depends on interactions between individuals and their local enviro...

The Miami-Dade portion of the Florida Reef Tract consists mostly of non-accretionary hard bottom coral communities organized into patchy platform and shelf edge reefs. Live hard coral cover is very low in the wake of coral disease, thermal shocks and hurricanes. However, the reefs are high value due...

Several government and private organizations have expended much effort to restore degraded coral reefs in many locations in Thai waters over the past three decades. The projects had a range of objectives, at various scales and different methods. We reanalyzed coral reef restoration projects in Thail...

The Mediterranean sea is one of the most threatened areas of the world. The rapid transformations that all the planet is witnessing are multiplied in this small but crowded sea, where the rapid decline of ecosystems and resources is a fact. Alien species spreading, overfishing, local urbanistic pres...

There is increasing interest in developing interventions that enhance thermotolerance of restored corals in anticipation of continued climate change. One such method involves controlled bleaching and recovery to manipulate corals algal symbionts in favor of more thermotolerant types. Data from natur...

Over thousands of years, corals build complex geological structures that serve as the foundations for a myriad of critical ecosystem services. Ensuring that both ecological and geological reef functions are maintained is, therefore, critical to designing effective coral-reef management and restorati...

Coral reefs worldwide are threatened due to ocean warming and acidification, and their persistence hinges on corals capacity for adaptation. To maximize adaptive potential, coral genotypes with increased phenotypic resilience to climate change conditions should be selected for restoration. Corals fr...

Near shore coral reef ecosystems provide coastal protection from storm surge and flooding, and in a changing climate with predicted increases in storm frequency and intensity, as well as rising sea levels, this protection of coastal infrastructure becomes more critical. Increased storm frequency and...

Invertebrate corallivores can negatively impact the survival of coral species through direct predation and by serving as a vector for diseases. While outbreaks of Acanthaster and Drupella are known to rapidly devastate entire reef systems, other corallivores such as Culcita, Coralliophila and Hermod...

Global warming, and the resultant coral bleaching events, are now considered the greatest threat to the long-term sustainability of coral reefs. Alongside the challenge of mitigating globally driven change is the potential for cumulative and synergistic impacts of local stressors such as run-off, po...

Under predicted future ocean conditions, elevated seawater temperatures and ocean acidification (OA) will affect coral simultaneously. Many studies have shown that these conditions can be detrimental to the physiology of both the coral host and its endosymbiotic algae. Moderate nutrient additions, h...

A major obstacle for reef conservation is the identification of stress tolerant corals and habitats at large scales. We present a novel method to overcome this limitation, detecting tolerant corals using prior information on the natural bleaching response of individual colonies and airborne imaging ...

Rising seawater temperatures are a major threat to coral reefs worldwide, causing coral bleaching events that are occurring annually in some locations and are expected to be annual events globally this century. Corals with high levels of stored energy reserves are known to have increased survival an...

Over the last four decades the biota of the Florida Reef Tract has suffered from a number of disturbances and stresses, including disease outbreaks, warm-water bleaching events, storms and hurricanes, outbreaks of coral predators, winter cold spells, and a host of direct and indirect anthropogenic i...

Coral reefs are threatened by rising seawater temperatures and ocean acidification. However, some populations of coral can cope with relatively high temperature and pCO2 conditions, which may be a function of their heterotrophic capacity. Reefs surrounding Oahu, Hawai'i, USA vary in temperature and ...

Panel discussion.

Mass coral bleaching is increasing in frequency and severity, leading to the loss of coral abundance and diversity. However, some corals are less susceptible to bleaching than others and can provide a model for identifying the physiological and biogeochemical traits that underlie coral resilience to...

Category five Hurricanes Irma and María (2017) caused extensive devastation of shallow coral reef assemblages across the Northeast Reserves System Habitat Focus Area (NER-HFA) of Culebra Island, Puerto Rico. These caused coral colony fragmentation and dislodgment across multiple species, and the ne...

We are working in Belize to restore the full suite of coral reef attributes and services on shallow lagoonal reefs and reef crests. Here, acroporid replacement works at otherwise recalcitrant sites, with results similar to nearby natural regeneration. Success is greatest in shallow waters when coole...

October 2017 saw the start of Colombia's largest coral reef rehabilitation project via coral gardening. The project objective is to upscale coral reef restoration actions in the San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina Archipelago to accelerate the natural recovery of intervened reefs, promote ada...