Speaker: Robert Toonen - University of Hawai‘i at Manoa - Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology
Seminar Title: Adaptive potential of corals and technological interventions to reverse coral reef loss
Abstract: Tropical coral reefs are in decline globally from the combined effects of human impacts on the planet. As marine heatwaves become increasingly severe and common with climate change, understanding whether coral thermal tolerance can match climate change predictions becomes vital to understanding the future of coral reefs. Through working to understand how some corals cope with the stress of climate change, we are attempting an ambitious project to reverse coral reef loss. A large collaborative team is developing new technologies to create hybrid reefs that can both reduce wave energy to protect coastal infrastructure in the face of rising sea level, and withstand marine heatwaves that have decimated coral reefs globally. I will present an overview of the range of technological and biological interventions being attempted and discuss why Hawaiian corals may hold the key to understanding global patterns in coral reef decline.
Host: Andrea Grottoli
