The Brief
- Mote Marine Laboratory scientists in Sarasota have identified 12 genotypes of Mountainous Star Coral that are fully resistant to a deadly tissue-killing disease.
- Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease has been rapidly destroying Florida’s coral reefs since first appearing off the Miami coast in 2014.
- Researchers are partnering with federal and academic institutions to analyze more than 2,500 samples to determine what drives this genetic immunity.
SARASOTA, Fla – Scientists at Mote Marine Laboratory have discovered disease-resistant coral strains that could prove vital to restoring Florida’s severely depleted reef ecosystems. The breakthrough follows a four-year study targeting one of the fastest-spreading and most destructive marine outbreaks in recent history.
Coral reef health crisis
The backstory:
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease has plagued Florida’s coastlines since 2014 after it was first detected near Miami. The disease has since expanded across the state’s entire reef tract and throughout the Caribbean region.
The disease targets roughly half of all Stony coral species found along the Florida reef tract, rapidly destroying their living tissue. Its unprecedented speed and wide range of vulnerable target species make it one of the deadliest marine outbreaks on record.…