Title: Beyond the Bleaching: Resilience, Restoration, and Banking on Coral's Future
Abstract:
Dr. Erinn Muller will be presenting research on recent stress events impacting Florida's Coral Reef, resilience, and restoration in Caribbean reef ecosystems, with a particular focus on threatened coral species. The seminar will highlight Mote's efforts to study the genetic, microbial, and physiological factors that determine coral survival under climate stress, including heat tolerance screening methods and symbiont dynamics. Additionally, Dr. Muller will discuss practical applications of this research for coral restoration, including active interventions to promote climate resilience such as selective breeding, algal symbiont seeding, and the selection of resilient genotypes for reef recovery efforts. Finally, Dr. Muller will highlight the importance of Mote's International Coral Gene Bank - a 'Noah's Ark for coral species preservation'.