Ecosystem transplant from a healthy reef boosts coral health at a degraded reef

Coral reefs are vital to the health of marine ecosystems, but rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification threaten their survival. In an article published in Nature Communications, Prof. Oren Levy and colleagues propose a new strategy to support reef recovery. In a study conducted in the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba, Red Sea, the team transplanted small communities of organisms, such as invertebrates and bacteria, from a healthy reef to a degraded one, using specially designed tiles. Coral fragments were then attached to these tiles. After several months, corals growing on the transplanted tiles from the healthy site showed better stress resistance, improved photosynthetic performance, and a higher abundance of beneficial algae compared to corals on tiles from the damaged site. These improvements were linked to the greater richness and diversity of organisms on the healthy tiles. The findings suggest that "ecosystem transplants" could serve as a promising tool to enhance coral resilience and aid in the restoration of degraded reefs.