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Mote Receives New Grant to Advance Study of Coral Reef Health
The Dart Foundation has awarded a $180,000 grant to Mote Marine Laboratory for research designed to give coral reefs a fighting chance against the global threats of climate change and disease.
This is the second grant awarded to Mote’s coral reef researchers by the Dart Foundation — a private family foundation based in Mason, Mich.
“We are happy to support this research, which we believe will protect and revitalize coral reefs all over the world," said Ariane Dart, representative of the Dart Foundation.
The two-year grant will support ongoing Mote research on how coral larvae settle and grow — a critical process for building and expanding reefs. The funding will also help support Mote’s collaboration with the University of South Florida (USF) in genetic research with the long-term goal of developing gene therapy to enhance coral reef health.
Mote scientists are international leaders in the study of coral health and disease, focusing on the mutually-beneficial relationship between corals and two types of microbes: beneficial bacteria that support reef health and symbiotic algae living in within coral tissues.
Environmental stress is causing corals around the globe to lose their symbiotic algae, or “bleach,” and eventually die. According to a 2008 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, which includes U.S. government agencies, stressors such as warming climate, pollution and unsustainable fishing have caused 19 percent of the world’s reefs to be effectively lost, 15 percent to be seriously threatened with loss in the next 10-20 years and 20 percent threatened in the next 20-40 years.
In recent years, Mote scientists and collaborators from multiple U.S. institutions have discovered many key factors that influence reef health, thanks in part to support from the Dart Foundation. Key results from 2010 include:
 Warming waters can cause beneficial bacteria on reefs to give way quickly to disease-causing microbes — an effect that can last months after the waters cool.
Beneficial bacteria on coral reefs swap DNA at rapid rates, potentially spreading useful traits that brace reefs against environmental stress.
Coral larvae settle better in the presence of certain DNA-swapping bacteria and the pods of genetic material they exchange.
“Generous support from the Dart Foundation has helped us unlock key aspects of coral reef health and potential ways to protect reefs in the face of climate change,” said Dr. Kim Ritchie, manager of the Marine Microbiology Program within Mote’s Center for Coral Reef Research. “Now, the Foundation’s new commitment will allow us to build upon these promising lines of research, which are at the root of better management and conservation of coral reefs.”
Ritchie and her colleagues will continue current research within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary — home to the world's third-largest barrier reef. Florida’s coral reefs and surrounding waters support hundreds of marine species and account for more than 20 million pounds of commercially harvested seafood each year. They also draw more than 3 million people annually, contributing more than $1.2 billion to the state's economy.
The following projects will be supported by the Dart Foundation grant through 2013:
Giving coral larvae a foothold:
Mote scientists hope to learn why coral larvae settle more often when certain gene-swapping bacteria are present. Understanding the conditions that help larvae settle will help resource managers promote reef growth and recovery. Project leaders from Mote will investigate which specific genes these beneficial bacteria exchange and whether these genes bestow useful traits on coral larvae or the symbiotic algae that live inside corals. To do this, Mote scientists will collect and raise three species of coral larvae found in Florida Keys waters and test how larvae settle in the ocean and in the lab. This project will be the most detailed look to date at how microbes help corals start their lives.
Working toward gene therapy:
Mote will continue teamwork with USF and other Florida institutions to study how DNA-sharing by certain bacteria can help reefs resist and recover from stress. During the next two years, the researchers will investigate what kinds of genes are shared by the good bacteria and whether these genes impart useful traits such as heat tolerance, disease resistance or survival in more acidic water. The team will investigate whether these genes are received by other bacteria on the reef, by the coral itself or by its internal algae. This effort is designed to pave the way for the first-ever gene therapy with corals, which could eventually enhance reef health.
How you can help reefs: The ongoing projects above are also supported by Mote’s Protect Our Reefs grant program. This program funds research on Florida’s reefs by Mote and other institutions through sales of Mote’s Protect Our Reefs specialty license plate. Learn more and get your reef plate at: www.mote.org/4reef.
About the Dart Foundation: The Dart Foundation was established in 1984 by William A. and Claire T. Dart in Mason, Mich., where it is headquartered today. Learn more at: www.dartfoundation.org.
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