WEBVTT 00:01.800 --> 00:03.233 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Coral reefs. 00:03.233 --> 00:08.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% In a vast blue wilderness, they are the cities of the sea. 00:10.433 --> 00:15.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% These rich, biodiverse ecosystems are hot spots for marine life and warriors at protecting 00:17.800 --> 00:21.466 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% shorelines from storms. 00:21.466 --> 00:23.500 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% They cover 1% of the ocean floor, 00:23.500 --> 00:28.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% but they're actually home or hosts to about 25% of marine species. 00:30.500 --> 00:33.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Coral reefs are also the economic driver behind many economies around the world. 00:35.066 --> 00:38.633 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% They provide a critical food source for millions of people. 00:38.633 --> 00:43.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The Florida Reef Tract provides over 70,000 local jobs and is estimated to be worth over 00:44.800 --> 00:48.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% six billion dollars to our state economy. 00:48.100 --> 00:52.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% They say there's only one Everglades, but there's also only one Florida Reef Tract and 00:52.933 --> 00:54.966 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% it's a really special place. 00:54.966 --> 00:59.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Like most coral reefs around the world, the Florida Reef Tract has declined over the past 01:00.566 --> 01:02.566 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% few decades. 01:02.566 --> 01:07.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Fishing pressures, pollution, development, and climate change have all left their mark. 01:10.566 --> 01:15.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Now, a new disease may be the last nail in the coffin. 01:17.533 --> 01:21.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% They're stressed and they get diseased, they're more susceptible to it. 01:21.166 --> 01:26.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% This disease is unprecedented in its scale, its size and its effect on coral reefs in 01:28.066 --> 01:30.066 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% the Florida Reef Tract. 01:30.066 --> 01:33.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We're kind of up against these ticking time bombs of losing corals every day, 01:33.966 --> 01:36.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and trying to implement the best strategies that we have, 01:36.666 --> 01:41.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% while simultaneously trying to develop new ideas. 01:41.366 --> 01:43.733 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% What is this disease? 01:43.733 --> 01:48.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% What are scientists doing to prevent the spread - and will it be enough? 02:11.766 --> 02:16.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Major funding for this program was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people 02:18.100 --> 02:22.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% to preserve and protect America's underwater resources. 02:25.166 --> 02:28.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And by The William J. & Tina Rosenberg Foundation, The Do Unto Others Trust, and by the following. 02:39.966 --> 02:44.966 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It all began in Southeast Florida... 02:49.000 --> 02:53.966 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% In 2013, researchers here at Nova Southeastern were conducting monitoring of the reef systems 02:56.066 --> 03:01.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and they noticed a white disease pop up in some of the corals. 03:02.600 --> 03:05.600 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And it was just one site in Broward County, one site in Dade County. 03:05.600 --> 03:10.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Unlike other diseases that may concentrate in small areas and often disappear with the 03:11.766 --> 03:14.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% change of seasons, this one continued. 03:14.500 --> 03:19.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It reached the northern extent of the Florida Reef Tract in 2016 in Martin County and it 03:21.700 --> 03:26.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% first appeared in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 2016. 03:28.633 --> 03:31.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And we believe because of its rapid movement that it was following the water currents and 03:31.300 --> 03:33.766 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% is a waterborne disease. 03:33.766 --> 03:38.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% By early 2019, the disease had reached Key West. 03:40.666 --> 03:43.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Corals can show signs that they're sick a couple of different ways. 03:43.066 --> 03:47.466 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% They can be pale and bleached, which suggests that they're stressed and they're losing their 03:47.466 --> 03:50.200 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% symbiotic algae that live inside the tissue. 03:50.200 --> 03:55.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The coral can still be alive and recover from the bleaching if the stress that caused it 03:56.766 --> 03:58.900 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% is removed. 03:58.900 --> 04:03.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Or they can lose their tissue over time, and this disease can show both of those signs, 04:05.966 --> 04:09.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% but predominantly it's the sloughing off of tissue of the coral animal leaving just exposed 04:09.733 --> 04:12.200 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% white skeleton. 04:12.200 --> 04:17.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Experts named it "Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease" because of how it manifests in 04:17.933 --> 04:20.733 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% hard coral species. 04:20.733 --> 04:25.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Reef building corals are what are called stony corals mainly because they produce a limestone 04:26.333 --> 04:28.400 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% skeleton. 04:28.400 --> 04:31.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We have about 45 hard coral species on the Florida Reef Tract and we estimate at least 04:33.100 --> 04:36.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% half of those are susceptible to this disease. 04:36.600 --> 04:40.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It actually affects more species than any other coral disease that's been reported to 04:40.066 --> 04:43.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% date within the Florida Keys Reef Tract. 04:43.833 --> 04:47.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Scientists say once the disease emerges in a new area, 04:49.133 --> 04:52.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% it affects anywhere from 50 to 100% of the stony corals there. 04:54.633 --> 04:58.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% After a coral is infected, it will likely die within one to six months. 05:03.133 --> 05:08.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Experts of varying backgrounds are collaborating to study this unprecedented disease. 05:10.100 --> 05:13.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% One of them is Dr. Brian Walker, who has spent most of his career mapping the seafloor and 05:15.566 --> 05:19.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% describing reef habitats off southeast Florida, prior to the disease outbreak. 05:21.766 --> 05:25.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% When I first started doing my mapping work, there wasn't a lot of knowledge about the 05:25.233 --> 05:30.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% extent of the reef system and how far north it went and habitat types. 05:32.166 --> 05:36.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% While studying the underwater topography, Brian discovered nearly 300 giant boulder 05:38.566 --> 05:42.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% corals that are over six feet in diameter, estimated to be up to 300 years old. 05:46.033 --> 05:49.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% About half of them are dead and we don't know when they died. 05:49.966 --> 05:54.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Could have been previous stress events, could have been early in the century or just a few 05:55.566 --> 05:58.133 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% years ago. 05:58.133 --> 06:03.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% To avoid losing the remaining living boulder corals to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, 06:05.166 --> 06:09.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Brian and his team switched their focus to monitoring and treating the infected corals. 06:11.233 --> 06:16.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We've been using a specific epoxy that was tested through researchers in the past that 06:17.200 --> 06:19.266 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% they found was effective. 06:19.266 --> 06:24.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And that allows us to mix chlorine and the epoxy together underwater and then apply it. 06:26.900 --> 06:31.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% It will kill the tissue on immediate contact, so that we are removing that diseased tissue 06:34.433 --> 06:36.900 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% from the environment. 06:36.900 --> 06:41.900 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% As a backup we create this trench in the healthy-looking live tissue of the coral, that we fill with 06:44.166 --> 06:49.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% epoxy with chlorine as a break between the healthy live tissue and the diseased tissue. 06:51.266 --> 06:55.600 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% So, if that diseased tissue spreads beyond the margin treatment, it will hopefully only 06:55.600 --> 06:59.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% spread to that point, to that trench. 06:59.566 --> 07:04.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Our treatments have been between 40 and 60 percent effective at stopping the disease 07:05.966 --> 07:09.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% progression across the coral once it's been infected. 07:09.100 --> 07:14.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But we can't stop the coral from getting disease in another location and so it requires this 07:15.500 --> 07:19.066 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% constant effort and monitoring. 07:19.066 --> 07:24.066 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% While Brian and his team work towards protecting the large boulder corals in Broward County, 07:26.000 --> 07:29.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% his colleague, Dr. Karen Neely, focuses on the affected species in the Florida Keys. 07:48.733 --> 07:53.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Looe Key is one of the jewels of the Florida Reef Tract, it was protected even before the 07:55.133 --> 07:57.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary came in. 07:57.100 --> 08:01.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% You have really high coral cover and really beautiful reef structure. 08:01.533 --> 08:06.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It's really hard to watch that reef currently in decline and see all of the devastation 08:07.966 --> 08:10.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that's happening because of this tissue loss disease. 08:10.966 --> 08:15.433 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% My main research goal right now is looking at intervention strategies. 08:15.433 --> 08:20.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Is there anything we can do to treat affected corals or to protect unaffected corals that 08:22.366 --> 08:25.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% might give them a chance to survive through this disease event and still be there at the 08:27.000 --> 08:29.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% end to help repopulate and restore the reefs in the future? 08:29.900 --> 08:34.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% A lot of the efforts that we have to address this disease are trial and error. 08:34.500 --> 08:37.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% We basically do things in a laboratory and see whether it works. 08:37.833 --> 08:42.833 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And then we have to pilot in the field and look at first, whether it works and then second, 08:44.766 --> 08:48.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% what sort of implications that has for the corals we're trying to treat, as well as the 08:50.533 --> 08:54.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% other organisms on that reef system, before we make a decision to move forward with something 08:54.866 --> 08:57.400 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% that's done on a larger scale. 08:57.400 --> 09:00.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% What we're primarily working with now is antibiotic delivery. 09:00.966 --> 09:05.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And what we're trying to do with that is maximize delivery to the coral, minimizing delivery 09:07.933 --> 09:11.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to the water column and also creating basically a time release mechanism. 09:14.133 --> 09:16.800 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Two of the methods that we are trying for antibiotic delivery right now are both pastes that we 09:18.933 --> 09:21.466 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% can smear onto the disease margin. 09:21.466 --> 09:26.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% One of these is basic shea butter and it's easy to get, it's relatively cheap, and it's 09:28.400 --> 09:32.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% something that we can use pretty easily in the field to deliver this drug to the coral. 09:34.366 --> 09:38.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Another potential method that we've been working with comes from a company that is based out 09:38.800 --> 09:40.900 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% of Tampa. 09:40.900 --> 09:45.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Actively treating the disease isn't the only way Karen is trying to help save Florida's 09:45.333 --> 09:50.333 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% iconic coral reefs. 09:52.366 --> 09:56.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Together with Keys Marine Lab Deputy Director Dr. Cindy Lewis, Karen's been rescuing threatened 09:58.566 --> 10:03.566 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% pillar corals from the reef since 2016, before the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease reached 10:05.100 --> 10:06.666 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% the area. 10:06.666 --> 10:09.733 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Pillar coral is very near and dear to my heart. 10:09.733 --> 10:14.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It's the only coral anywhere in the world that grows these big columns or cylinders 10:16.133 --> 10:19.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that can be 10 feet tall and sometimes two feet in diameter. 10:19.400 --> 10:23.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It's one of the few species that has its polyps out during the day. 10:23.266 --> 10:26.633 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So, it looks very fuzzy and fluffy, not just at night. 10:26.633 --> 10:31.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The pillar coral only occurs in the Caribbean and it's considered threatened because of 10:33.566 --> 10:36.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% its low abundance, its susceptibility to disease and its sensitivity to 10:37.866 --> 10:39.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% changing environmental stressors. 10:39.600 --> 10:44.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And there are only about 160 genotypes that we identified on the reef. 10:45.800 --> 10:50.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So, think of that like the last 160 or so people on this planet. 10:52.133 --> 10:56.266 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And not only that, they only occurred at about 150 different sites. 10:56.266 --> 11:01.233 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So, think of that as 160 people living in 150 different towns. 11:03.100 --> 11:07.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, they were spread out across the reef, very low genetic diversity, and because we 11:08.933 --> 11:12.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% were losing them from these bleaching events and subsequent disease, we realized that we 11:14.533 --> 11:18.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% needed to bring some of this genetic material in to these protected on-shore nurseries, like 11:20.000 --> 11:24.533 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% we have here at Keys Marine Lab. 11:24.533 --> 11:29.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Each pillar coral is assigned a unique number so experts have a record of where it was collected 11:30.700 --> 11:34.133 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and what condition it was in at the time. 11:34.133 --> 11:39.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Meanwhile, they continue to monitor the status of all the remaining pillar corals 11:39.733 --> 11:41.300 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% in the wild. 11:41.300 --> 11:45.500 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% We've lost, you know, well more than 50 percent of the genetics 11:45.500 --> 11:47.866 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% out on the reef, they're extinct now. 11:47.866 --> 11:52.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And many of them are only held now in the onshore nurseries. 11:52.533 --> 11:57.500 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Preserving each and every genotype is really important for preserving that genetic diversity 11:58.400 --> 12:01.333 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% that we can use in the future. 12:01.333 --> 12:06.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% To save the population, scientists are rearing pillar corals in captivity. 12:08.300 --> 12:13.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% In the summer of 2018, 69 different coral fragments of 27 different genotypes were being 12:15.700 --> 12:18.700 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% cared for at the Keys Marine Lab. 12:18.700 --> 12:23.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% They spawned in the tanks, males and females, that probably haven't seen each other in maybe 12:25.733 --> 12:29.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% centuries, and we have 30 brand new babies and that means 30 new genotypes in this population. 12:34.100 --> 12:39.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The success of the Pillar Coral Rescue Project came at the ideal time. 12:41.533 --> 12:44.666 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Now, the staff at the Keys Marine Lab is using techniques they perfected while working with 12:46.566 --> 12:50.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the pillar corals, to house various other species that are also threatened 12:51.500 --> 12:53.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. 12:53.800 --> 12:57.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% The eventual goal is to restore the species to the reef, 12:58.700 --> 13:01.700 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% once the disease outbreak has abated. 13:01.700 --> 13:06.700 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% While experts are actively working to treat and rescue corals, one big question remains. 13:09.466 --> 13:14.466 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% What is causing this disease? 13:19.933 --> 13:24.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Everybody is concerned about is why are the corals diseased and what's causing it. 13:26.366 --> 13:30.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Is it a pathogen or is it some environmental stressor? 13:32.133 --> 13:35.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Researchers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife 13:37.233 --> 13:40.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Research Institute are taking a microscopic look at what may be occurring 13:41.200 --> 13:43.266 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% in the coral tissue. 13:43.266 --> 13:47.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% What we can do is look at how a diseased tissue looks and then compare that with what appears 13:50.133 --> 13:52.200 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to be a normal tissue. 13:52.200 --> 13:56.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% The actual methods used are pretty much the same as if someone has a biopsy where a small 13:58.333 --> 14:01.233 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% piece of tissue is removed. 14:01.233 --> 14:06.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% To analyze a tissue sample, the hard coral skeleton is dissolved away, and the remaining 14:08.200 --> 14:12.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% tissue and associated surface organisms are preserved in a gelatinous substance that holds 14:13.400 --> 14:15.333 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% them in place. 14:15.333 --> 14:20.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% There's just a lot of different organisms that could be there and we wouldn't really 14:20.200 --> 14:22.200 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% necessarily know. 14:22.200 --> 14:26.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It's like looking at a zoo of stuff and you just have no idea what, if any, are actually 14:28.200 --> 14:30.366 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% involved in the disease. 14:30.366 --> 14:35.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Next, the block of tissue is finely sliced, and different chemicals are used to stain 14:37.400 --> 14:41.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% varying slices of the sample - each chemical highlighting different features in the tissue, 14:43.266 --> 14:47.066 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% such as the nucleus of the cell, mucus, or bacteria. 14:47.066 --> 14:52.066 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% We're looking possibly at trying to find any pathogens that we might be able to see microscopically. 14:55.200 --> 15:00.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And also understanding how the normal tissue has changed. 15:00.000 --> 15:05.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Where you see these like white patchy areas, this is the disease itself, the lesion. 15:07.100 --> 15:12.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And you can see where it's really white space, it's like the tissue is gone. 15:14.066 --> 15:17.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Scientists have found that the disease appears to be occurring in the deeper layer - what's 15:17.700 --> 15:22.700 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% called the gastrodermis - of several different species affected by Stony Coral Tissue Loss 15:23.333 --> 15:25.400 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% Disease. 15:25.400 --> 15:30.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% They're kind of structurally different, but nonetheless, the, the way the lesions look 15:30.866 --> 15:32.866 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% internally is very similar. 15:32.866 --> 15:37.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And we've seen that in five different species, so it seems to be a commonality that 15:39.566 --> 15:44.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% may help us understand how the disease is manifesting. 15:46.466 --> 15:50.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We've seen what look like these crystalline inclusion bodies that are diamond shape or 15:51.700 --> 15:55.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% rhomboid in the tissue, sometimes near the lesion area. 15:55.800 --> 15:59.166 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And we have no sense yet of what they are, 15:59.166 --> 16:02.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% but they may be important or they may not be. 16:04.800 --> 16:07.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, we'll certainly be pursuing looking at those to see if we can find out what they are. 16:11.366 --> 16:16.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% To help identify the microbes found in the coral tissues, Jan is collaborating with multiple 16:18.300 --> 16:22.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% organizations, including Mote Marine Laboratory's Coral Health and Disease Program 16:23.266 --> 16:26.033 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% led by Dr. Erinn Muller. 16:26.033 --> 16:31.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% With the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, we still don't know what the primary pathogen 16:33.066 --> 16:36.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% is, but we do believe that it is a microbe and a lot of the evidence is suggesting that 16:38.300 --> 16:42.766 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% it's a bacteria, primarily because when you apply antibiotics to a diseased coral, that 16:42.766 --> 16:45.200 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% progression seems to stop. 16:45.200 --> 16:50.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We want to understand how does it transmit from a diseased coral to a healthy coral. 16:52.700 --> 16:55.900 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And hopefully be able to identify the pathogen that could be responsible for that transmission 16:56.633 --> 16:58.833 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% that's occurring. 16:58.833 --> 17:01.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% So, what we do is we go collect diseased corals from the reef and bring them back to an isolated 17:02.466 --> 17:04.533 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% lab. 17:04.533 --> 17:08.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We'll have a diseased coral within a tank and then we'll have different micro-fragments 17:10.500 --> 17:14.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% touching the diseased coral to see if over time, within a few days usually, that disease 17:15.366 --> 17:17.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% could transmit to the micro-fragments. 17:17.933 --> 17:22.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% If all the tissue just kind of sloughs off of the skeleton of the micro-fragment 17:22.166 --> 17:25.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% it would suggest that the disease had indeed transmitted. 17:25.333 --> 17:30.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% If that coral stays beautifully colored, appears to not have suffered any tissue loss, then 17:32.233 --> 17:35.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% it would suggest that it was resistant to that transmission of the disease. 17:35.033 --> 17:40.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So once a coral gets sick from the disease transmission, the progress continues until 17:40.900 --> 17:42.866 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% the entire coral is dead. 17:42.866 --> 17:47.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% There's been some evidence in the field that the disease may slow down at times. 17:47.433 --> 17:52.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But, for the majority, it appears that once a coral gets sick, the entire colony is going 17:53.033 --> 17:55.666 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% to be lost. 17:55.666 --> 18:00.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Erinn takes samples of the coral micro-fragments throughout the transmission experiment to 18:02.733 --> 18:05.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% figure out how their microbes change through time as the corals fight the disease or become 18:07.066 --> 18:09.033 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% sick. 18:09.033 --> 18:13.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% To get the information from the corals, we basically scrape off some of the tissue and 18:15.600 --> 18:19.433 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% put that tissue into a preserving agent that allows us to then extract the DNA out of that 18:21.233 --> 18:23.166 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% sample. 18:23.166 --> 18:27.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It contains DNA from everything that was in your sample, the coral, the bacteria, the 18:28.700 --> 18:31.433 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% algae, the viruses, the fungi. 18:31.433 --> 18:35.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But, for our focus right now we're really interested in the bacterial community. 18:35.766 --> 18:40.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We're still trying to figure out what's good bacteria for coral and what's the bad bacteria 18:41.366 --> 18:43.300 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% for coral. 18:43.300 --> 18:47.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And so, by us taking samples and analyzing and characterizing the bacterial community, 18:49.266 --> 18:52.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% we can compare what's present within diseased corals with what's present within healthy 18:52.800 --> 18:57.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% corals and hopefully identify some of those potential pathogenic bacteria that are there 18:58.966 --> 19:02.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and maybe even causing the tissue loss disease. 19:02.833 --> 19:07.833 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Our preliminary results are really encouraging, and we have definitely seen a different signature 19:09.833 --> 19:14.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of bacteria within diseased corals when we compare them to healthy corals that are in 19:14.200 --> 19:16.600 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% the same reef locations. 19:16.600 --> 19:21.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We have a couple different bacteria species that seem to definitely have a role within 19:23.566 --> 19:27.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% this disease outbreak. But whether or not they're the pathogen, we need to fulfill follow 19:29.600 --> 19:33.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% up studies to really see if it's a cause and effect, or an association, or even potentially 19:35.933 --> 19:40.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% just a secondary infection that's not the primary pathogen of the disease. 19:42.700 --> 19:46.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Erinn's transmission studies are also helping to identify genotypes of corals that appear 19:47.633 --> 19:50.433 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to be resistant to the disease. 19:50.433 --> 19:55.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% This information is valuable to Mote Marine Laboratory and other organizations that are 19:55.400 --> 19:58.866 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% restoring corals on the reef. 19:58.866 --> 20:01.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Now this is the perfect chip right here. 20:01.766 --> 20:06.700 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% One person involved in restoration efforts is Ken Nedimyer. 20:06.700 --> 20:11.700 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% He began growing corals in the wild in 2002 and later founded the Coral Restoration Foundation. 20:14.566 --> 20:19.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Years ago, I set out to show people that we could grow and raise corals offshore and regrow 20:20.766 --> 20:22.266 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% them and plant them on the coral reefs. 20:22.266 --> 20:27.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% We went from one coral to tens of thousands of corals. 20:27.166 --> 20:32.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Corals are unique in their ability to reproduce sexually by spawning and asexually through 20:33.566 --> 20:35.800 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% fragmentation. 20:35.800 --> 20:40.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The Coral Restoration Foundation uses the fragmentation process by trimming a piece 20:41.666 --> 20:44.233 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of coral into smaller fragments. 20:44.233 --> 20:47.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We then glue that little piece of coral onto a card that we've previously printed that 20:47.933 --> 20:52.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% had the genus and species, and the particular genotype or number that we'd assign to it. 20:54.900 --> 20:59.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Each card is placed on a Coral Restoration Tree to grow in their offshore nurseries. 21:01.466 --> 21:06.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Once they reach a certain size, corals of identical genotypes are outplanted in clusters 21:08.033 --> 21:11.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% onto the reef, where they will eventually fuse together to create new colonies. 21:14.000 --> 21:18.033 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% So, one single colony that's you know the size of half a basketball could start to sexually 21:18.766 --> 21:20.700 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% reproduce in two years. 21:20.700 --> 21:25.133 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% That same colony would take fifteen years to grow from a baby. 21:25.133 --> 21:26.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We're trying to step up the whole process. 21:26.666 --> 21:29.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% You know, the goal is to get these things breeding again. 21:29.766 --> 21:34.266 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% The cornerstone of our restoration program is preserving, and maintaining and outplanting 21:34.266 --> 21:39.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% genetic diversity, with the idea being that we want to mimic as much natural diversity 21:40.433 --> 21:42.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that was on the reef 40 years ago. 21:42.600 --> 21:46.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% One genotype might be resistant to coral bleaching, to high heat temperatures, one genotype might 21:46.866 --> 21:49.000 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% be more resistant to disease. 21:49.000 --> 21:53.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, we want to make sure that we're sort of trying to hit every single possibility that 21:53.000 --> 21:57.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the climate could throw at us, in hoping that once these outplanting populations sexually 22:00.000 --> 22:03.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% reproduce and spawn, that they will form new genotypes and those new genotypes will be 22:04.833 --> 22:08.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% more resilient, more resistant to future changes in the climate. 22:10.966 --> 22:14.233 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% As of early 2019, the Coral Restoration Foundation's offshore nursery contained five species affected 22:17.133 --> 22:22.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, including 72 genotypes of threatened boulder coral, 22:24.833 --> 22:29.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% as well as a few genotypes of threatened pillar coral. 22:29.666 --> 22:32.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Without our intervention, without our active practice, 22:32.700 --> 22:35.066 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% these corals won't come back on their own. 22:35.066 --> 22:40.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, our goal is to rebuild these populations, start to put out corals in the abundance and 22:41.466 --> 22:44.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% diversity that they were historically known to have. 22:44.033 --> 22:48.566 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% And by doing that we hope that we can start to connect populations that are too separate 22:48.566 --> 22:52.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% right now, to spawn and recruit on their own. 22:52.666 --> 22:57.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Over the years, I've been fortunate to witness the field of restoration grow, there's more 22:59.733 --> 23:03.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% practices emerging and this community is really starting to expand and come together. 23:05.000 --> 23:09.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% This is part of a solution, it's not the only part of a solution, but we've been a part 23:09.133 --> 23:14.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of changing the way people feel about coral reefs and about the future. 23:14.866 --> 23:18.400 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% We've given them hope. 23:21.566 --> 23:23.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% This disease has been devastating. 23:23.666 --> 23:28.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% When you dive these reefs on a week to week, month to month basis, you have some favorite 23:30.033 --> 23:31.533 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% corals. 23:31.533 --> 23:34.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It may sound silly, but we have Archie and we have Big Daddy. 23:34.966 --> 23:39.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And I've got the Baby Elephant which was a beautiful, huge brain coral. 23:41.333 --> 23:44.733 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And when I see these things now, I literally cry. 23:45.900 --> 23:48.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% This is a hard issue to raise awareness on. 23:48.733 --> 23:53.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% There's so much going on in the world and in people's lives and this one is really hard 23:54.200 --> 23:56.233 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% to see. 23:56.233 --> 23:58.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% You not only have to be out there diving or snorkeling, but you also have to understand 23:58.933 --> 24:03.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% what a coral is and what a dead coral looks like and what the implications of losing these 24:04.633 --> 24:08.133 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% coral colonies are. 24:08.133 --> 24:13.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease has had a devastating impact on Florida's fragile 24:13.733 --> 24:17.633 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% reef ecosystem. 24:17.633 --> 24:20.900 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% But all hope is not lost. 24:20.900 --> 24:25.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Dedicated scientists are working hard to find the cause of the disease, treat the ill and 24:27.833 --> 24:32.633 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% restore these cities of the sea to their former glory. 24:32.633 --> 24:37.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I believe it's really important that people understand that it doesn't mean the end of 24:37.300 --> 24:39.333 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% the Florida Keys reef system. 24:39.333 --> 24:44.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Corals are really, really unique, resilient animals that I believe can rebound and as 24:46.266 --> 24:49.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% long as humans do a better job of trying to take care of our oceans, I think that can 24:49.433 --> 24:54.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% really make a difference in helping us address this coral disease outbreak. 24:54.166 --> 24:59.166 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% There's never been as much effort put into place to understand a coral disease, to try 25:01.600 --> 25:06.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and stop a disease from spreading, to try and save the corals that are out there, and 25:08.033 --> 25:12.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% hopefully put new ones back out onto the reef environment. 25:12.333 --> 25:17.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% The collaborative effort, the amount of dedication that scientists and the community have really 25:19.833 --> 25:22.966 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% put into trying to understand what's going on and trying to fight this outbreak is unprecedented 25:25.466 --> 25:30.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and I'm glad that I'm a part of it and hopefully we'll be making a big difference that is going 25:32.433 --> 25:35.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to set a precedent for other outbreaks related to coral reefs around the world. 26:12.266 --> 26:17.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Major funding for this program was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people 26:18.600 --> 26:23.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% to preserve and protect America's underwater resources. 26:24.466 --> 26:29.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And by The William J. & Tina Rosenberg Foundation, 26:30.000 --> 26:33.233 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% The Do Unto Others Trust, 26:33.233 --> 26:36.100 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and by the following.