The Future Of: Coral Reefs [FULL PODCAST EPISODE]

this is the future of where experts share their vision of the future and how their work is helping shape it for the better i'm jess morrison and i'm david blainey coral reefs protect our coastlines from storms provide habitats for diverse marine species and generate billions of dollars for the fishing and tourism industries unfortunately recent mass coral bleaching events have put the future of these spectacular ecosystems at risk to discuss this topic with us today is coral taxonomist dr zoe richards thanks for joining us zoe thank you it's my pleasure firstly what is a coral taxonomist so a taxonomist is a biologist a biologist who classifies organisms into the different species genera of families based on their origins and who they're related to so for me i work on corals and that's what i'm doing i'm scuba diving i'm looking at corals and i'm identifying those corals so to make the identification i need to look at their morphology so their skeletal structure and also their molecules and the data that i collect is used in a range of ways it's used to identify species that are resilient identify species that are different from each other than need to be described and also the data is used for conservation projects such as marine park planning and iucn red list assessments for example which we did in 2008 for the first time and we found that one-third of the corals were elevated in elevated categories of threat meaning they were highly threatened with extinction so that's all based on the type of data that a coral taxonomist generates you get to go and scuba dive some of the most beautiful places around australia by the sounds of it yes yes we do we spend a lot of time in the water so the corals are quite similar to each other so it takes a long time to get your eye in and to be able to identify the different species so i've been fortunate to do that around the world in different parts of the pacific indian ocean so it's it's a it's a body of work it's ongoing so sorry sorry to do a bit of a double take you said 50 were at risk yes there's incredibly threatened corals they really are the only other taxes that has a higher number of species that are threatened with extinction are frogs so in the marine system the corals are really exceptionally threatened so what would presumably they're not just nice to look at um and sets for animated uh feature films what would a world without coral reefs look like ah why should we care like why should we why should we care i can see them in my pixar movies okay well let's start with what you know why should we care to me there's such magnificent places there places for exploration adventure and also discovery scientific discovery but also they're really important because they're a source of food for over a billion people they're providing jobs income to local economies from fishing recreation tourism so the australian tourism industry is worth about 30 million dollars annually so the coral reefs are also biodiversity hot spots so even though coral reefs only cover about one percent of the ocean floor they contain about 25 of the marine life from so they're incredibly diverse and that's generally because there's a whole heap of different micro habitats that enable lots of different species to live together so the coral reefs also spawning nursery grounds for a whole heap of fish that are important for the commercial and recreational fishing industries they protect coastlines from storms and you know something people don't think about is that there are a really important source of new medicines and biotechnological opportunities so every year hundreds of new compounds are derived out of marine taxos such as sponges like anti-inflammatories antibiotics sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen is a beautiful example because corals have a natural mucus so there's a variety of con companies at the moment that are trying to synthesize the compounds out of the coral mucus to make uv filters so these type of filters can be used in paints sunglasses themselves sunscreens so the potential for technologies and medicines out of the marine and the coral reef organisms is just exceptional you were saying before um the high rate of coral which is in pretty bad way yeah quite highly endangered what is the state of the coral reefs here in western australia what is the future of these coral reefs here so at the moment whatever grim it might be hopefully good so we do have a mixed bag here in western australia the 2016 bleaching event which impacted the great barrier reef terribly which the listeners may have heard about in the news we also had some big impacts from that at offshore in western australia at scot reef so that reef was completely devastated by the 2016 bleaching event where's the scotland scott reef is offshore atoll north of broome okay so we have three beautiful atoll reef systems offshore from northern western australia we have ashmore then scott reef than the rolly scholes so scott reef in the middle was badly impacted but contrasting to that is ashmoreef and the rollie shoals they survived without much impact so it's really quite interesting why scot reef in particular was so badly devastated by that bleaching event but the neighboring atolls survived coming into the well we're trying to work that out at the moment the australian institute of marine science in particular is working on that they think there's some current patterns currents that have caused the hot water to sit above scot reef for an extended period of time there's a variety of hypotheses but no one can answer exactly what's going on at scot reef at the moment when we come inshore there's also a range of different responses that are happening so in the kimberley there's some patches of reef that were bleaching and other patches of reef that were completely robust to the 2016 bleaching event and they appear to be not impacted at all coming down the coastline through the pilbara things were surviving quite well there get to ningaloo they did okay in 2016 but 2011 there was another bleaching event that really devastated ningaloo reef so there's a really varied range of responses across the western australian coastline for those listeners who aren't super familiar with bleaching um i'm sure you know we may have heard the term but can you just sort of give us a brief um description of what that actually is for a coral reef sure so the corals are generally really colorful and inside their tissue are zooxanthellae so symbiotic organisms that derive energy from the sun just like a plant so they live inside the coral tissue when the water stays too warm for too long the coral heats up and the zooxanthellae inside the tissues becomes stressed out so they are freaking out and the coral expels them so when they're expelled the coral loses its color and turns white and this basically means the coral is really stressed and in fact it's starving to death so if the coral stays stressed like that for a period of time an extended period of time for a couple of weeks for example it will completely starve and then it will die so that's coral bleaching if you get a minor event the coral could bleach and recover but if you get a major event like 2016 at scot reef on the great barrier reef corals did not recover because the stress event was just too extreme and lasted for too long it's really sad and presumably we can't just plant more coral like you can plant a tree well that's right there are restoration efforts going on around the world and it it's growing in popularity in australia and particularly on the great barrier reef but you need your source material from somewhere where are you going to collect these corals from and if you're going to just plant these corals out to somewhere that is previously bleached why are these ones going to survive the next bleaching because you've got the same genetic stock so this is where we're looking yeah the same potentially another event of similar magnitude with the thermal stress in the water so what we really need to find are these pockets of wreath where they have an increased thermal tolerance and they have the ability to survive these events so there's a bit of effort going on around the world to look for these climate refuges and pockets of thermally tolerant corals and then perhaps what planting those in these areas where there have been mass coral bleachings and the brief is essentially dead is that i mean i suppose i'm just looking to what the future is of restoring these that's right that is a downstream application that a lot of people are working on and thinking through at the moment right now we need more data to underpin decisions in that space but that idea of assisted evolution and translocating corals so a strong thermally tolerant genotype from the kimberley for example is it feasible to move those to the great barrier reef or move larvae from the kimberley to the great bay reef to make those decisions we need to know is the kimberley system for example and the great barrier reef naturally connected to each other are there babies from the kimberley naturally going to the great barrier reef anyway because if they are then it makes it possible but if they're completely separate ecosystems it becomes a slightly dangerous to start introducing corals from another region to a new place because you may also be introducing new diseases or other problematic things might happen like the corals that you've introduced become dominant and take over that location and start um you know out breeding and taking over the genetic diversity then becomes simplified and you've lost all your original inhabitants and the diversity that they held so there's it's quite a controversial subject but it's certainly becoming more and more popular and it's being explored at the moment so there'll be many more decisions and opportunities in that space in the years to come so you said you still need to collect a lot more data but what are some other things that might be other than transplanting coral if that's what it's sort of called what else um is being looked at to to save these these rates and so we're just trying to understand at the moment the ability for corals to adapt can they adapt and what sort of time scale can that happen on and can they inherit thermally tolerant genes from their parents so if we find these pockets of thermally resist resistant corals then we need to look at them genetically and unlock their secrets and work out why are they surviving because that can really tell us a lot of information that may be relevant to other locations other locations are struggling now but possibly in time they will also be able to adapt if we can just understand the mechanisms the molecular mechanisms that can sort of give us a lot of insight into the future of coral reefs and the prospect that other locations will survive into the future with their natural stock around the world where are some reefs that are doing well and others that are dead essentially mean we hear a lot about australia and our reefs here yeah internationally okay so there's it's again it's very very variable like right now in hawaii the corals are bleaching again there's another thermal stress event just beginning in hawaii last in 2016 that thermal stress event began in hawaii and moved right across the pacific so all the way through fiji was getting damaged into indonesia was damaged maldives in particular was incredibly damaged so there's pockets in all locations there seems like there's pockets that escape so usually based on the local oceanographic conditions or if a cyclone has come through and cooled down the water or just because certain locations like the kimberley have a very dynamic natural regime where they're exposed to a large range of temperature conditions naturally so those corals have had to become robust throughout time to survive there so there's a other places where there's really thermally tolerant corals and one in particular is the red sea because the red sea heats right up naturally so over time corals have had to adapt to really high warm water to survive there so there are these places around the world and the search is on for those at the moment to try and identify them and learn as much as we can from those refuge areas if it's happening in the red sea surely the coral here may adapt over time if the waters are heating or is that a simplistic way to think probably not giving it enough time i guess you're quite right we're talking about adaptation that's potentially happened over thousands and thousands of years but we do have a population like that and that's the one i've been working on in the kimberley so the central kimberley incredibly dynamic part of the world with the tides are changing up to 12 meters a day in some places so at low tide you'll be out of standing on a re-flat completely out of the water all the corals exposed to the ambient air temperatures sunlight potentially rain during the monsoonal season and then a few hours later where you were standing would be underwater by meters and that water is racing around because the currents are ripping really strong currents sediment all through the water so these corals they're like all over the place it's so variable what they need to deal with on a 24-hour cycle they've got high uv low uv high temperature lower temperature no current strong current that you know they have it all so they've needed to adapt to that so we definitely have one of these very interesting coral communities and refuges right here in western australia that we need to learn more about which ones should we be um as we as as as residents rush on over to see before it's too late in wa look i've just come back from coral bay with some third-year students and i was just taken aback with how accessible that coral reef is it's incredible it's just right there on the coast beautiful snorkeling conditions and it's gorgeous exceptional coral so for a family that is the place to go like i i really think coral bay is the most accessible and beautiful family friendly snorkeling location and the opportunity to see the reef engage with the reef see some beautiful fish manta rays sitting at cleaning stations getting fed you know there's incredible dams of fish territories within coral bay which is really quite fun to watch them defending their territories so coral bay is exceptional but for those people are fortunate enough enough to have a vessel a braless islands is just another outrageously interesting location because where else in the world can you be diving on corals and have sea lions swimming past you i think that got declared national park quite recently yes there's been a lot of movement to in that direction and and so it should be because that is a really exceptional coral reef and because it's in a subtropical location it's very diverse for such a high latitude so again that's another location where we need some more research but really really spectacular diving and really important location in wa's fabric when you say more research do we need more money do we need more what do we need more of to get that data to help protect the future of these coral reefs well that's it we need you know there's always money is behind everything isn't it but we need you know just more interest and more students coming into the ecology and environment sector you know to protect the reef we need the young people engaged in particular we need them out there seeing it experiencing it loving it and sharing that with their family and their personal networks so we build the momentum towards needing to protect reefs and learning about it and experiencing it so yeah the the full spectrum of money just all the way to understanding and education about the reef we just need it all and in the universities it's good to invest in species biodiversity learning and taxonomic studies and arm these young people with the tools they need to understand biodiversity and to understand the reefs so they can reiterate that information to the public and engage everybody with the beauty and the spectacle that is coral reefs and ensure everyone's on board with how important it is to protect them so tell us about artificial reefs what role do they have to play in this in sustainability okay so artificial reefs they can be purpose-built reefs such as what is being deployed off exmouth they can also be decommissioned oil and gas structures so western australia of course we have so much oil and gas infrastructure it's a growing area at the moment there's lots of debate around the value or not of artificial reefs there's plenty of opportunities for them to provide new fishing habitat so new opportunities for recreational fishes but on the other hand some people believe they accumulate invasive species so there's more work is happening in that space at the moment i have a phd student who has just started working that space and he'll be using environmental dna technologies to explore who is living on these outer artificial reefs structures and their succession through time so yeah there's certainly a hot debate around the idea of rigged to reef so it's not going away anytime soon could be good for the fishermen but we're not sure yet how well it's going to replicate a natural reef so we need to just keep working on that as well i think there's been a bit of work around that done in queensland currently if i'm wrong around artificial reefs and implanting those and you know do you know much of have you have you heard of how that's going yeah well a little in queensland queensland because they've got the incredible great barrier reef which is protected as a marine park they've sort of been slower to get on board with artificial reef structures to my understanding the main body of work is done in the caribbean and in the us and they have deployed lots and lots of artificial reefs and like i say i think there's a mixed bag of results there as well it will provide habitat for some species but then it will also potentially in some cases provide a habitat for species that we don't want and we don't want them hopping from artificial reefs onto our natural reef systems so in australia yeah the jury is really out at the moment where we stand on that but i have a feeling for the fishers it'll be a good thing for recreational fishermen give them alternates to release the pressure from natural reef systems and places they can go and you know have a good fishing outing which is also important in part of you know our fabric and our culture as australians as coastal living people and particularly in western australia so you know we need people to have good experiences on the water and under the water so we need recreational opportunities for people but then we want to relieve the pressure on the natural reefs as much as possible so there certainly are likely to be positives around the artificial reefs sounds like a bit of a balancing act always anything to do with environmental management i'm sure you and the listeners would all agree it's a real balancing act for sure well thank you so much zoey i think that brings us to the end of our discussion we really appreciate you coming in and sharing your knowledge on this topic it's my pleasure and um finally jess what's going on how come how come you're not here next week well david i'm heading off to have my first child so i'm incredibly sad to be to be taking a break but i'm also incredibly excited as well but being great working with you and interviewing all of our different academics here at curtin university it's been really interesting i've learnt so much i don't know about you but and um please send um uh send your emails have a good holiday to jessica.morrison at curt no no no no no i think i think jess you told me explicitly you you caught me in the hallway last week and you said do not use the h word in any context i can't see it being much of a holiday yeah i'm sleeping much but incredibly excited so yes thank you enjoy not sleeping much cheers you've been listening to the future of a podcast powered by curtin university if you have any questions about today's topic get in touch by following the links in our show notes bye [Music] you

2021-08-09 09:12

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