Return to Coral Biorepository Alliance Home
Coral Biobank Alliance members are working collaboratively to share and standardize methods used to preserve coral genetic diversity for conservation and restoration. Currently, the methods used by our members include:
Colony identification
Coral collection from reefs (with appropriate government permits)
Microbiome samples
GPS
Tagging
Photographing colony
Measurements
Ensuring there is enough biomass for holding and sampling
Transportation
Long distance shipping of coral colonies
Quarantine
Coral health and growth monitoring
Health checks
Water quality and parameters
Live biorepository maintenance and husbandry
Coral colony maintenance in breeding systems, including in remote areas
Ex-situ coral conservation through preserving living coral biodiversity in state-of-the-art ex situ “coral ark” facilities
Microfragmentation
Vet care
Targeting resilient broodstock: Integrating corals that are more resistant to known stressors than other genotypes in addition to facilitating and promoting genetic diversity
Sampling
Genomics
Genetics: Metatranscriptomics, metagenomics,16S (microbiome), genetic management planning
Database management
Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation of coral sperm so they can be used later for breeding or genetic studies
Ex situ reproduction with sperm
Long term banking
Breeding
Collecting gametes from broodstock and combining them in different genetic crosses with the goal of fostering species resilience with hundreds to thousands of diverse offspring
Outplanting
