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Pictured above is a juvenile Pillar Coral polyp settled onto a ceramic surface. This rare and threatened Caribbean coral species has been successfully bred and raised in the lab for the first time by a research team whose achievement will be published in the scientific journal BMC Ecology. The team’s work provides the first photos and documentation of juveniles of this species, and could provide information to aid the conservation of coral reefs in the study area.
The team plans to 'out-plant' these lab-grown juveniles in the wild, which could help populations become more resilient to climate change. The Caribbean Pillar Coral Dendrogyra cylindrus is rare and understudied, and small juveniles of this species have never been seen in over 30 years of surveys in the Caribbean. The species is one of very few corals in the Caribbean that forms large branches, which can provide shelter for important fish species and can reduce the energy of storm surge as it approaches shore.Image credit: Kristen Marhaver
