CMHRP coral-reef researcher featured in National Parks Traveler podcast
Research Marine Biologist Ilsa Kuffner was interviewed by Lynn Riddick, reporter for National Parks Traveler
For the February 29, 2021, National Parks Traveler podcast, Dr. Kuffner was interviewed by Lynn Riddick about the results of a USGS study on elkhorn coral growth in the Florida Keys that was published in December (https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01083).
Elkhorn coral populations crashed in the late 1970s and have not recovered since. This species is the only one that builds the reef-crest habitat zone, the part of the reef where waves break, meaning it is essential for shoreline protection in Florida, Puerto Rico, and across the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The study results provide hope and ideas for how to restore elkhorn coral populations to help them sexually reproduce again, thereby connecting vestigial populations and allowing opportunity for natural selection in a changing ocean. National Parks Traveler reports that the podcast was downloaded more than 850 times in just the first three days.
Read what else is new at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.
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