Despite being scattered across more than a million square kilometres, new research has revealed that remote coral reefs across the Seychelles are closely related.
Despite being scattered across more than a million square kilometres, new research has revealed that remote coral reefs across the Seychelles are closely related. Using genetic analyses and oceanographic modelling, researchers at Oxford University demonstrated for the first time that a network of ocean currents scatter significant numbers of larvae between these distant islands, acting as a ‘coral superhighway.’ These results have been published today in Nature Scientific Reports.
Dr April Burt (Department of Biology, University of Oxford, and Seychelles Islands Foundation), lead author of the study, said: ‘This discovery is very important because a key factor in coral reef recovery is larval supply. Although corals have declined alarmingly across the world due to climate change and a number of other factors, actions can be taken at local and national scale to improve reef health and resilience. These actions can be more effective when we better understand the connectivity between coral reefs by, for instance, prioritising conservation efforts around coral reefs that act as major larval sources to support regional reef resilience.’
The researchers collaborated with a wide range of coral reef management organisations and the Seychelles government to collect coral samples from 19 different reef sites. A comprehensive genetic analysis revealed recent gene flow between all sample sites - possibly within just a few generations - suggesting that coral larvae may be frequently transferred between different populations. The results also hinted at the existence of a new cryptic species of the common bouldering coral, Porites lutea.
Read more at University of Oxford
Photo Credit: Pippo1967 via Pixabay
