What would a bird feeder look like if you adapt it to feed coral reefs? The answer is something like a projector.
Ohio State scientists have designed one who uses a special type of light that attracts microscopic organisms to which corals feed.
The apparatus, nicknamed the lumber of underwater zooplankton (Uzela), is an autonomous and programmable underwater light which has undergone tests using the Coral catering foundation in Hawaii.
After having tested the submersible on two species of corals from Hawaii over six months, the researchers found that Uzela could considerably improve the local density of zooplankton and increase the food rates of healthy and bleached coral.
When corals feed on larger quantities of zooplankton, this makes them stronger and more likely to be resilient against certain environmental threats, such as thermal stress or acidification of the ocean.
“The coral reefs house a third of all marine species, but occupy less than 1% of the ocean”, ” said Andrea Grottoli, principal author of the study and professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University.
THE The written foundation That if Uzela is effective, it could revolutionize Corail nursery operations.
“By improving the health and coral survival rates, Uzela could help reduce the time necessary for corals to reach a size suitable for depression on reefs. This would not only improve the success of coral restoration projects, but would also reduce the operating costs associated with the growth and maintenance of nursery corals. »»
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Naturally, artificial lights can disrupt the behavior of other marine animals, so that researchers can choose not to use the device all year round. That said, the study stresses that zooplankton with this human manufacturing tool does not seem to harm the environment or interrupt the flow of other Zooplankton in the surroundings.
“If you imagine the zooplankton in a column floating above the coral, instead of being naturally dispersed, Uzela simply pulls them, but that does not remove the coral next to it,” said Grottoli. “We show that if you put the coral near the light, they benefit from this concentrated zooplankton and that the power rates increase from 10 to 50 times.”
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“The real intention of this project is to inject new technologies and energy into the success of the restoration of corals. This is something that can be strategically deployed for high -value reefs, or projects that have already invested a lot in them. »»
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