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The effects of climate change impact many areas of life. However, few biomes are hit harder than coral reefs. High ocean temperatures can cause mass bleaching events that devastate coral reefs and, in turn, ruin the creatures that live there.
Scientists have tried a variety of approaches in hopes of saving coral reefs. Now, research from the Carnegie Institution for Science suggests a little genetic hacking could protect coral reefs from the effects of climate change.
The approach is possible thanks to researchers who have discovered a gene in some types of coral that allows it to survive in warmer waters. They believe that injecting other coral species with the gene could also help them survive.
Coral Hacking
The researchers had to do a lot of work before they could even begin experimenting with the coral genome in question. Unlike living things on land, coral is very careful when it releases fertilized eggs.
When the water conditions are right, and only under the glow of the full moon, the coral releases these eggs. Scientists had to wait for the right time to collect them for the experiment.
This process alone took several years to complete. However, once the team got their hands on the eggs, the real research began. Carnegie’s team identified the HSF1 gene as the sequence that allows some coral species to survive in warm water.
The researchers published their findings in the journal PNAS.
Put the plan into action
The discovery of the responsible gene was an important milestone. However, the work doesn’t stop there. Researchers believe they can use the CRISPR gene-editing tool to inject coral eggs fertilized with HSF1.
From there, they hypothesize they can dump eggs on top of existing coral reefs. The hope is that, over time, heat-resistant corals will grow and multiply to replace those that die from rising ocean temperatures.
However, there is a big problem with the strategy. Current Australian law prohibits the use of genetic modification tools such as CRISPR. This makes the plan to save coral reefs illegal. Given that most of the world’s coral reefs are located in Australia, the strategy is currently stalled.
Coral geneticist Madeline van Oppen, a commentator not associated with the original study, said: “They [the gene-hacked fertilized eggs] the release into the environment would face, very correctly, a rigorous regulatory and public control “.
While the regulations may seem like a nuisance, they are in place for good reason. Once the genetically modified coral is released into the environment, it cannot be recovered. Human beings will have to live with the results, whatever they are.
A recent example of a similar experiment occurred in 2018, when a team of Brazilian researchers released genetically modified mosquitoes into the environment. They released insects that were allegedly sterile in hopes of bringing down mosquito populations to address malaria and Zika concerns. Almost a year later, the team found that the area’s mosquitoes had not only survived, but had become harder in the process.
Yale researcher Jeffery Powell said at the time: “It is the unexpected result that is troubling.”
At this time, humanity is simply not ready to face the consequences of the release into the genetically modified living environment. While the prospect of saving coral reefs with CRISPR is tempting, more research needs to be done before it can happen.
Meanwhile, humanity can focus on proven methods to help the environment, such as limiting plastic pollution and reducing the use of fossil fuels.
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