On the evening of August 5th, 2020, a team from University of Miami, supporting NOAA-led research, observed outplanted elkhorn coral spawning on the Florida Reef Tract.
Outplanted elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) spawning on Florida’s Coral Reef. Video copyright: Dana Williams/University of Miami
- A team led by University of Miami Associate Scientist Dana Williams witnessed elkhorn corals propagated by Coral Restoration Foundation™ spawning on Florida’s Coral Reef.
- This is the first time that nursery-raised, outplanted elkhorn corals have been observed spawning in the Keys.
- The colonies that spawned comprised two different genotypes.
- These colonies were introduced to the reef site in 2015, as part of a NOAA SEFSC experiment, supported by Coral Restoration Foundation™.
- The team collected and successfully cross-fertilized the two elkhorn genets that spawned.
- For the time being, these new coral larvae will be homed at University of Miami.
- No spawning was observed in the wild elkhorn colonies that were monitored.
- CRF™ divers also witnessed another record – 14-month-old staghorn outplants also spawned, CRF’s youngest outplants to be observed to reach sexual maturity. Read more on that story here.
