What is Micro-Fragmentation?
Coral reef populations are at an all-time low in history, and the rate of coral bleaching is only increasing with time. Scientists are actively looking for a solution to this problem, as coral reef ecosystems provide approximately 25% of the oceans biodiversity. There are multiple methods to stop this growing problem, but none have been given to effectively recover the amount of population already lost. However, there is a recent discovery that may achieve this goal: micro-fragmentation. Discovered by Dr David Vaughan in 2019, micro-fragmentation is when living coral is broken up into tiny pieces, also known as ‘micro fragments’ and the coral grows . The broken ends react by forming new cells to heal and grow back. There is no scientific intervention in a laboratory, and yet the coral grows exponentially quicker as a result of natural healing processes. This discovery is impressive, considering that the coral increases in size this way rather than if the baby coral had taken the regular process of growth with almost no breakage.
When normal coral usually takes at least 25 years to grow to maturity, micro-fragmentation can cause coral to mature in around three years. The procedure requires no extensive energy use, pump, or light needed to break the coral, only a band saw (Chalias, 2020).
Why is Biodiversity Important?
Biodiversity is often brought up in environmental topics, but is not usually defined. According to National Geographic, biodiversity is “all of the species in one region or ecosystem”. To say that coral reefs maintain 25% of all biodiversity in the ocean is no small matter. Coral bleaching is an important topic because millions of different species rely on coral reefs alone (NOAA, 2013), and if even one species goes extinct, it can lead to complete food chains falling apart. This will inevitably hurt the human population as well, since most of the population either eats both meat and plants, or plants alone. Natural ecosystems cultivate our world’s food supply and ensure that future generations will survive. Although farms and agricultural methods exist to provide an assured food source, this does not help the ecosystem services that are provided when a bionetwork is properly functioning. These systems are often necessary for living, like producing oxygen through photosynthesis in plants, or mitigating climate change effects through soil erosion prevention with trees. In fact, coral reefs play an important role in protecting shores from large storms and hurricanes!
Implementation
Researchers are looking for ways to implement this plan into future environmental policies, but this idea is still quite new. Studies are being conducted to see how effective this plan is in the long run, and whether this is something conservationists and environmentalists can rely on to restore and maintain coral reef populations. While it may look hopeful, the current state of the ocean is in dire need of a solution. Time cannot be wasted because the ocean has already lost more than half of its population since 1950 (Wetzel, 2021), so knowing the success of this method is of top priority right now before irreversible damage is done.
The biggest threat posed to micro-fragmented coral is their higher probability of getting eaten by predators rather than coral that has taken the regular amount of years to form in the water. Little research is known about why this is the case, but on average, these corals are targeted more by animals that survive off eating coral and microorganisms within it, such as parrot fish, crown of thorns sea star, and butterfly fish (Masi, 2019).
Another difficulty is deciding when to plant these corals into their natural ecosystems. Baby corals are extremely vulnerable to damage or death in the ocean, due to various regions such as algae and sponge overgrowth, aggressive currents, or predators eating them (Chalias, 2020). However, planting a coral when it is already mature or large in size increases the likelihood of different parts breaking off before it can take root in the ground.
Scientists are becoming more interested in micro-fragmentation as a way to grow coral, but much more information is needed before any plan is implemented in the waters.
What Does This Solve?
Coral bleaching is a serious threat to coral populations globally. With the rise of greenhouse gases, the ocean is taking up CO2 at an unprecedented rate and average temperatures are increasing along with the atmosphere. While it is important to maintain biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, what is the point if temperatures continue to rise and threaten every area of life? Unless major corporations and countries make serious strides to combat this threat, micro-fragmentation is only a minor solution to a macro-threat. The rate of coral bleaching has yet to slow down, and even though studies are being conducted to see if these corals can survive in the ocean, the answer will always be a sharp no if acidity and average temperatures rise in the water. Do not let this solution take away from the bigger picture: climate change is hurting every source of life on Earth. Unless climate change is mitigated and prevented, former coral populations will never recover, nor will biodiversity.
All this to say, unless most of the world cooperates to make a change, the disastrous reality of a warming atmosphere will hit us all harder than we expected. So please, donate, encourage, and support organizations that are looking to help our environment thrive again. Policies and major corporations that degrade our environment must be stopped, and it is time to make a change.
Sources:
Chalias, V. (2020, May 3). Micro-fragmentation in situ. A first by Ocean Gardener. Ocean Gardener. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://oceangardener.org/micro-fragmention-in-situ-a-first-by-ocean-gardener/
Masi, K. (2019, March 2). What eats coral reefs? Sciencing. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://sciencing.com/eats-coral-reefs-8067826.html
National Geographic. (2023). Biodiversity. Education. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/biodiversity/
Nishat, & Openaccessgovernment.org. (2019, December 3). Could microfragmentation be the answer for coral reef conservation? Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/microfragmentation/78571/#:~:text=The%20microfragmenting%20process%20speeds%20up%20the%20maturation%20process%2C,However%20microfragmented%20corals%20are%20more%20susceptible%20to%20predation.
US Department of Commerce, N. O. and A. A. (2013, June 1). What species live in and around coral reefs? NOAA’s National Ocean Service. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_species.html
Wetzel, C. (2021, September 17). The planet has lost half of its coral reefs since 1950. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-planet-has-lost-half-of-coral-reefs-since-1950-180978701/
