Corals

An underwater photo of a bustling coral full of various colorful species of coral and fish

Throughout the world coral reefs are dying. Locally, reefs are damaged by pollution, nutrients and sedimentation from poor land-use, fishing and mining practices. Globally, increased greenhouse gases are warming and acidifying oceans, making corals more susceptible to stress, bleaching and newly emerging diseases, causing a widespread reef crisis. Reefs nurture more than a quarter of all marine life, protect our homes and cities from storms, and maintain livelihoods by adding more than 300 billion dollars annually to our global economy.

The Center for Species Survival’s (CSS) Reef Recovery Initiative is pioneering low-cost, high-impact reproductive technology to offset the effects of climate change on reefs, mainly through the creation of frozen repositories for reef species around the world. To date, scientists have placed sperm or stem cells from 16 species of coral from around the world into frozen repositories. 

CSS scientists were the first in the world to successfully cryopreserve coral and essentially invented the field of coral cryopreservation. Today, these frozen repositories contain 1 trillion frozen sperm and 3 billion frozen larval cells. Methods have been successful with all coral species tested, making these practices widely applicable for all coral and extremely practical to teach to professionals worldwide.

The bulk of the work is based at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology in Mary Hagedorn’s lab, but scientists have banked species across the world, including in Belize and Australia. The research has also expanded: we have successfully frozen the important algae that live within the coral that make up our reefs; we have pioneered a field-friendly method for freezing spermatogonial stem cells in fish; and we're exploring cryopreservation methods for other important reef species, starting with sea urchins.

Projects

Corals

Coral Biobank Alliance
Smithsonian scientists are part of the Coral Biobank Alliance, a global network of coral experts preserving corals for restoration and research.
coral reef

Coral Cryopreservation Training Course
A large elkhorn coral underwater on a sunny day in Curacao

Coral Reproduction and Cryopreservation
Smithsonian scientists are pioneering low-cost, high-impact reproductive technology to offset the effects of climate change on coral reefs. 
An underwater photo of a coral reef with a large coral in the foreground surrounded by smaller corals and fish swimming in the distance

Coral Species Cryopreserved with Global Collaborators​
View a list of the coral species that have been cryopreserved using a technique developed by Smithsonian scientists.
Fish on black background

Fish Stem Cell Cryopreservation
As global biodiversity rapidly declines, Smithsonian scientists are pioneering new methods of fish specimen collection, cryopreservation and banking.
scientist holding vials

Symbiodiniaceae Reproduction and Cryopreservation
Scientists are cryopreserving complex organisms within the reef ecosystem, including symbiodiniaceae, the unique algae that lives inside coral.
sea urchin among corals

Urchin Reproduction and Cryopreservation

Researchers are learning more about sea urchin reproduction and improving cryopreservation techniques for these important coral reef residents.

Related Animals

Continue Exploring

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Case Study: Scenario Planning in Northwestern Virginia

Virginia Working Landscape

Case Study: Land Use Modeling in Northwestern Virginia
A researcher stands among tall trees in a sunlit forest in Virginia.

Changing Landscapes Initiative
Smithsonian scientists work alongside community members in Northwestern Virginia to evaluate the impacts of land-use change on wildlife, ecosystem services and community health.
Corals

Coral Biobank Alliance
Smithsonian scientists are part of the Coral Biobank Alliance, a global network of coral experts preserving corals for restoration and research.
coral reef

Coral Cryopreservation Training Course
An underwater photo of a coral reef with a large coral in the foreground surrounded by smaller corals and fish swimming in the distance

Coral Species Cryopreserved with Global Collaborators​
View a list of the coral species that have been cryopreserved using a technique developed by Smithsonian scientists.
Herd of wildebeest grazing on an open grassy plain with one tree

Wildebeest Conservation
Conservation Ecology Center scientists are tracking the movements of white-bearded wildebeest to understand how changes across the landscape impact the species.
A small bird called a piping plover stands on a sandy shore

Protecting Piping Plovers in the Great Lakes
In 2022, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center will begin a new research project to help protect endangered piping plovers from predation by merlins.
A swift fox wearing a tracking collar is released at Ft. Belknap

Swift Fox Recovery
Smithsonian scientists, in collaboration with the Fort Belknap Fish and Wildlife Department, are embarking on a five-year swift fox reintroduction project to restore swift foxes to tribal lands and to help reestablish connectivity between disjointed swift fox populations.
A large leafy tree growing adjacent to a body of water, with cattle grazing in the grass underneath its canopy

Conserving the World’s Largest Working Wetland
Conservation Ecology Center researchers are collaborating with institutions in Brazil and other Smithsonian colleagues to support sustainable cattle ranching in the Pantanal wetland.