[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Mote Marine research looks to bacteria to save coral reefs

 

Mote Marine research looks to bacteria to save coral reefs

By Kate Spinner
kate.spinner@heraldtribune.com

Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 3:01 p.m.

SARASOTA - Scientists cannot stop climate change to save the world's coral reefs, but they might be able to make reefs more resilient to it.

IV bags are used as incubation containers during a field experiment in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to see how often bacteria swap genes in the wild. Such gene transfers could help increase bacteria's diversity and provide resilience to coral communities.

Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota is at the forefront of research aimed at figuring out what makes some corals better at fending off disease when temperatures rise. The answer appears related to bacteria. Further research could lead to new ways to help reefs survive warming seas and other environmental stressors.

Mote recently received a $180,000 grant from the Michigan-based Dart Foundation to continue two years of research on coral health, extending a project that started eight years ago.

Corals are made up of polyps that excrete calcium carbonate - the hard substance that makes a reef. Tiny algae take up residence in healthy polyps and, in return, provide the polyp food.

Temperature fluctuations, largely due to climate change, are one of the biggest threats to corals. Environmental stress can diminish the algae, leading to coral bleaching, which can eventually cause disease and death. Severe cold snaps, such as the one in 2009, can also wipe out reefs.

Certain bacteria, however, help corals grow and fight disease. When those bacteria die, corals suffer. But some of the beneficial bacteria have the ability to swiftly adapt to the surrounding environment, allowing them to handle rising temperatures.

"It's kind of like a rapid evolution for bacteria," said Kim Ritchie, senior scientist and manager of the marine microbiology program at Mote Marine Laboratory.

The goal is to find out how bacteria benefit corals and whether it is possible to force the bacteria to take on traits that make them more resilient.

The key is in genetic transfer. The bacteria adapt by swapping genes. If scientists can find out what genes are responsible for resilience, they may be able to influence the genetic make-up of coral bacteria in the wild.

Ritchie is working with the University of South Florida on the detailed genetic work.

Bacteria naturally share genes through transfer agents that are kind like defective viruses. When those transfer agents are present, the bacteria rapidly exchange genes and corals begin to grow more robust.

"Once we learn more about the gene that's responsible, we might be able to make gene transfer agents only with that one specific gene," said John Paul, the USF professor of biological oceanography who is working with Ritchie.

Such gene therapy could help restore damaged reefs or help some reefs fend off disease.

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