Rare coral species bred and raised in lab

Rare coral species bred and raised in lab
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Highlights

In a first, researchers have successfully bred and raised in the lab a rare and threatened Caribbean coral species. The Caribbean Pillar Coral Dendrogyra cylindrus is rare and understudied, and small juveniles of this species have never been seen in over 30 years of surveys in the Caribbean. The species is one of very few corals in the Caribbean that forms large branches,

New York: In a first, researchers have successfully bred and raised in the lab a rare and threatened Caribbean coral species. The Caribbean Pillar Coral Dendrogyra cylindrus is rare and understudied, and small juveniles of this species have never been seen in over 30 years of surveys in the Caribbean. The species is one of very few corals in the Caribbean that forms large branches, which can provide shelter for important fish species and reduce the energy of storm surge as it approaches shore. After studying sunset times and lunar cycles taken from other spawning observations, the research team timed their egg and sperm collection around the most likely annual spawning times - exactly three nights after the August full moon and around 100 minutes after sunset.

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