珊瑚解决方案Project
Corals are fascinating animals which can reproduce sexually through spawning and asexually through fragmentation. In Mozambique scientist are studying coral spawning and, in particular, where these tiny coral larvae settle onto the reef to gain insight into the long-term health of coral reefs.
珊瑚产卵和珊瑚幼虫的募集是关于礁石是否可以长期可行的重要指标。有多少珊瑚定居和生存为成年菌落可以帮助确定珊瑚礁是否正在下降或将继续蓬勃发展。
If a reef has an abundance of adult colonies but is not receiving new baby corals it is likely to decline over time. Reefs with a higher settlement rate are predicted to continue growing.
When corals spawn, eggs and sperm meet to form a gamete (fertilized egg) which grows into tiny coral larvae. These larvae can drift in the current settling on a different reef from where they originated, or they can settle close to the parent colony. Once established, the larvae will metamorphose into a single coral polyp which continues to grow into a coral colony.
珊瑚礁之间的连通性（每个幼虫行驶的距离）对于遗传多样性很重要。具有混合遗传学的珊瑚可以抵御气候变化和遗传多样性等环境威胁，可以保护可以侵蚀大片珊瑚礁的疾病。
Dr. David Glassom来自夸祖鲁 - 纳塔尔大学研究的珊瑚和珊瑚产卵在莫桑比克。在非政府组织的帮助下，科学家和潜水寄宿格拉姆博士创造了珊瑚解决方案Projectin 2016.
（c）和底部（d）瓷砖表面。用铅笔盘旋有助于精确地计算它们。
定居瓷砖
为了学习珊瑚解决方案，莫桑比克的八个地点的团队在礁石上部署了粗糙的无覆盖陶瓷瓷砖，希望婴儿珊瑚能够解决。12周后，将瓷砖从海洋中取出并漂白以去除软组织和生物污染生物体，以暴露微观的珊瑚骨骼。
每个珊瑚物种都有一个独特的骨骼，可以从单个息肉阶段确定其物种。单个息肉骨骼的跨度为1-2mm，使用显微镜或放大镜将有助于识别每个物种。
莫桑比克的珊瑚定居点项目研究了莫桑比克海岸的八个地点的招聘，从南部的Ponta Do Youro到北部省Cabo Delgado。然后比较礁石之间和纬度之间的定居点模式。但是，从结果中得出结论还为时过早。
Where To Settle
幼虫找到正确的条件很重要，或者幼虫将无法成长为新的珊瑚。珊瑚幼虫更喜欢粉红色和白色，珊瑚藻的颜色和健康的礁石。小幼虫有能力swim short distancesto find a suitable habitat; however, on degraded reefs, they may never find a home.
在退化的礁石上，珊瑚和岩石通常被藻类杂草过长，底物可能是粉质或泥泞的。当这种情况发生时，婴儿珊瑚可能永远找不到合适的住所，即使他们这样做，藻类也可以迅速长满新定居的珊瑚。
By measuring settlement rates on a reef, one can start to determine the overall health and ability for a reef to regenerate. Reefs with a higher settlement rate and greater connectivity signal a healthy resilient reef.
We are curious to see the results of this study, and we will follow up when more information is provided in a few months time.
没有：没有：Inhaca岛上的海洋生物学研究站（EBMI），这是不可能的，该研究站是佩姆巴的Lurio University Eduardo Mondlane University的一部分，位于PembaNuarro lodge, the Zavora marine lab and Gozo Azul diving in Ponta do Ouro. There are a whole lot of individuals and other dive operations that have helped in different ways, but too many to mention.
