As reefs decline, will some corals be fighters?
Dr. Erinn Muller collects a sample from elkhorn coral
Do you catch lots of colds while some of your friends rarely get sick? Humans aren’t the only ones with variable defenses against disease. Mote staff scientist Dr. Erinn Muller and her colleagues are searching for hardy genetic varieties of corals with the best odds of surviving the coral disease outbreaks and climate change impacts affecting reefs worldwide. Amid sad news about coral reef declines, Dr. Muller and her colleagues are finding hopeful signs of possible resilience in some coral genotypes, while investigating practical measures such as “firebreak” procedures to hinder the spread of coral disease. With scientists' help, can our "rainforests of the sea" tough it out?
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