Using Technology to Save the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the world's largest coral reef system covering over 344,000 square kilometres. The GBR is home to 600 varieties of coral, over 100 species of jellyfish, thousands of species of molluscs, over 1600 species of fish, 133 varieties of cartilaginous fish likes sharks and rays, and more than 30 species of whales and dolphins.

Want to take a virtual tour? Click on the image above for your own Google Earth tour of the GBR.

The crown of thorns starfish (COTS) is a native predator of coral in the GBR. In recent years, outbreaks of COTS have occurred in some areas leading to large declines in coral on an already stressed coral reef.

Why? It is likely the increase of COTS is due to multiple factors including a decline in their natural predators which are keystone species, an increase of nutrients from land-based runoff, and ocean currents driving the spread of larvae of a species that has the natural ability to reproduce quickly.

The COTSBOT and the new and more advanced RangerBot are two robots that are being used to kill the COTS by injecting them with bile salts. The RangerBot has increased capacity to not only kill the COTS but can also monitor water quality and seeding coral larvae in stressed reefs.

Want to know more? Click on the video above.

Corals are susceptible to even small changes in sea temperatures. As sea temperatures begin to rise due to climate change, more and more coral become susceptible. Coral bleaching occurs when corals expel the algae (also known as symbionts) that live inside of them. This causes the coral to turn white/transparent. Corals rely on these algae for nutrients so while bleaching won’t immediately kill the coral, they may die due to a higher risk of disease and undernourishment if the bleaching event is prolonged

Want to know more? Click on the image above!

One type of technology that is being used to assist coral in being able to survive mass bleaching events is assisted evolution. This can be done through stress conditioning, selective breeding, epigenetic acclimatisation, and migration assistance. Many of these methods are still being explored by scientists, but have the potential to save reefs that have been decimated by mass bleaching events.

Sounds complicated, right? Click on the infographic above that summarises each of the above methods to help you understand how asisted evolution might be a viable option for saving the GBR.