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Conserving coral reefs in the face of climate change

Research background

As coral reefs continue to degrade at an alarming rate, a research team at the University of Derby and colleagues at the Horniman Museum and Gardens are helping to turn the tide with a ground-breaking approach to rearing young corals which could be transplanted onto damaged reefs.

Since 2014, the University’s Aquatic Research Facility, which sits within the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC), has developed a world-leading framework to tackle the pressures climate change has placed on coral reef health and reproduction. Although based thousands of miles away from the environments it strives to protect, the research team has influenced conservation projects in locations as far afield as the Maldives, Palau, Guam, Florida, Bermuda, Saudi Arabia and Australia.

The value of coral reefs, both ecologically and economically, cannot be overstated. Containing some of the planet’s most diverse ecosystems (they are home to approximately 25% of all marine life), they also sustain thousands of jobs and provide income for local, regional and national economies through the fishing and tourism industries. According to UNESCO, however, the majority of the world’s reefs are in grave danger of dying out completely by the year 2100, ravaged by pollution, over-fishing, land run-off and rising sea temperatures.

Research breakthroughs

Led by Dr Michael Sweet, the ESRC team’s most substantial achievement – working with the Horniman Museum and Gardens and building on their breakthrough of ‘cracking of the code’ for successful coral spawning in laboratory settings – was to allow an entire reproductive cycle to be completed in captivity for the very first time. Overcoming significant challenges in logistics and husbandry, they have been able to induce spawning in 24 different coral species to date.

Another important breakthrough was the co-culturing of lab-spawned corals with juvenile sea urchins which graze on the algae that can otherwise overwhelm reefs. This provided the first evidence that the presence of baby urchins can boost survival rates in young coral in captivity by up to eight times. Such findings will ensure that higher numbers of surviving offspring are available for future reef restoration projects.

Pioneering coral spawning research

Hear Michael's story and how his research, conducted in the University of Derby's Aquatic Research Facility, will have a game-changing impact on coral reef restoration.

A video highlighting the pioneering of coral spawning research at the University of Derby

View Pioneering coral spawning research at the University of Derby video transcript

Pioneering coral spawning research at the University of Derby video transcript

[Quiet music plays while the University of Derby logo overlays video footage.]
[Visual: Dr. Michael Sweet reaches into an aquatic tank to inspect material on the bottom of the tank.]

Dr. Michael Sweet, Professor in Molecular Ecology:

"So, we've been working on coral spawning for about a decade now, since about 2014. We were actually the first in the world to do ex-situ coral spawning - that's the spawning of corals away from the reef.

[Visual: Close-up of Dr. Michael Sweet's hand picking up a spawn of coral at the bottom of an aquatic tank. The scene transitions to two turtles swimming through a coral reef in the ocean and then back to coral spawning in a tank at the University of Derby.]

And bear in mind that corals are the foundation, the building blocks that harbour a home for upwards of 30% of all marine life. So they're super valuable from a biodiversity point of view, but also from an economic point of view. We really need to understand what makes them tick, how they reproduce, and how they survive in a changing climate.

[Visual: Dr. Michael Sweet reaches into a tank to pick up and inspect some coral.]

Clarification: This work has been done in partnership with the Horniman Museum and Gardens, which was the first institution to successfully induce ex-situ coral spawning. 

And we can do all that now in the comfort of our own universities and institutions around the world by using these sorts of techniques.

[Visual: Close-up of a hermit crab walking across a coral tank. The scene then shows an alternative view of coral spawning alongside tropical fish, followed by a further close-up of coral that Dr. Michael Sweet has picked out of a tank.]

So I started my PhD in 2007, and that's where I originally focused on coral reefs and I started looking at coral disease, initially describing various different diseases and the pathogens that were causing those diseases. I then grew a little bit tired of documenting the demise of these valuable ecosystems and started to focus on what makes them healthy.

[Visual: Close-up of a microscope examining a small beaker of water containing a piece of coral. The scene transitions to Dr. Michael Sweet working at a computer within a lab environment, examining the microscope footage.]

We switched our research objectives, still focusing on aspects of the microbiome, which are the small members of the community associated with corals - these are bacteria, viruses, fungi, protists - all valuable members. We started exploring shifts and changes, what makes them differ in their variation but also their function and importance.

[Visual: Tropical fish swimming above a coral reef spawning at the University of Derby. The scene transitions to footage of Dr. Michael Sweet with students in a tropical country and then back to the tanks in the lab.]

This soon segued into actually designing ways of improving coral reefs, either naturally in the field with restoration or ex-situ with systems like the coral spawning unit we have behind us. We developed these bespoke systems, which allowed us to replicate and manipulate the natural environment to allow for the controlled spawning of corals."

[Visual: Footage cuts to black with the University of Derby logo and derby.ac.uk displayed.]


Research developments

The University’s work represents a major leap forward for coral conservation, opening up the possibility of year-round reproductive events in laboratories and the chance for other research teams worldwide to rear large numbers of coral larvae and juveniles for restoring damaged reefs. The techniques have since been adopted by leading institutions such as Florida Aquarium’s Centre for Conservation, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and, more recently, the King Abdulla University of Science and Technology. At least three further coral species, some with endangered status such as the Caribbean pillar coral and the knobby cactus coral, have now been spawned in other institutes using the technology designed in the UK.

International developments

Underpinning international policies, Dr Sweet also led a United Nations report making far-reaching recommendations for how to reduce the impact of plastics on shallow water coral reefs. This report, launched during the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Assembly, was presented to delegates from governments worldwide and is now informing future action by an expert UNEP group investigating marine litter and microplastics.

Where our research has been featured

One of the team’s key priorities is to ensure and raise greater public awareness of the environmental threats facing coral reefs. The coral spawning research has featured on the Blue Planet TV series and was shared through Facebook videos which attracted some 60,000 views worldwide. A bespoke exhibition at the Horniman Museum has reached on average 143,000 visitors per year. Dr Sweet also visits learning institutes teaching students and reef practitioners, including at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) UK and the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Israel.

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