Scaling-up restorative assisted evolution on Anthropocene coral reefs

Global mass coral bleaching events caused by marine heatwaves are becoming ever more frequent under climate change. Without action, the socio-ecological services provided by coral reefs may be lost. Active management interventions may be required to support the resilience of future coral reefs. The CORALASSIST Lab (UK) is testing assisted evolution in Palau: selective breeding for heat-tolerance paired to restoration. What are the ecosystem benefits of such small-scale science? Alongside the CCE Lab (Canada) we aim to use a suite of global climate model projections from climate centres across the world, combined with historical temperature data from Palau to 1) develop a downscaled sea surface temperature projection for Palau, 2) predict coral bleaching and reef futures under different climate scenarios, and 3) simulate coral restoration efforts, providing useful management advice, such as “how soon and how many heat-tolerant corals are needed to benefit coral reef ecosystems in the long-term”.

Faculty Supervisor:

Simon Donner

Student:

Partner:

Newcastle University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Sustainability & the Environment; Life Sciences (not health)

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: