Frank Melzner

Coral reefs provide goods, services and revenue for many tropical countries. Yet they are degrading at unprecedented rates due to climate change. Thus, urgent actions are necessary to protect and restore these fragile ecosystems. We propose a transdisciplinary project that aims at identifying coral populations that are genetically adapted to cope with higher heat stress. We then want to use these genotypes in a novel selective breeding approach to facilitate reef restoration through assisted evolution. The Andaman Sea (Thailand), harboring one of the most diverse coral reef assemblages, will serve as our natural laboratory. Here, large amplitude internal waves (LAIW) have rendered some coral populations more heat stress-resistant1,2,3. We will test, whether these populations are genetically distinct from more vulnerable populations and will scan genomes for targets of selection to high temperature stress. In parallel, we will evaluate the potentials and risks of assisted evolution approaches4 to reef restoration by organizing a stakeholder workshop with governmental and non-governmental organizations to establish a long-term road map to protect reef ecosystems along the Thai coast.