Context:
The world’s first cryo-born baby corals have been successfully settled on the Great Barrier Reef.
About Cryo-born Coral:
- Led by Australian researchers in coral conservation and restoration.
- Cryo-born corals: Created using cryopreservation techniques, involving freezing coral cells and tissues at very low temperatures.
- Cryopreservation Process:
- Coral cells and tissues contain water, forming damaging ice crystals when frozen.
- Cryoprotectants used to remove water from cells during freezing and support cell structures when thawed.
Significance of the Breakthrough:
- Climate Change Resilience:
- Project aims to deploy millions of heat-tolerant corals onto the reef annually.
- Helps combat the effects of climate change.
- Selective Breeding:
- Bypasses limitations of natural coral spawning (occurs once a year).
- Enables selective breeding and use of colonies for multiple reproductions.
Great Barrier Reef:
- Complex of coral reefs, shoals, and islets in the Pacific Ocean.
- Location: North-eastern coast of Australia in the Coral Sea.
- Longest and largest reef complex in the world; largest living structure on Earth.
- Dimensions:
- Extends roughly northwest-southeast for more than 2,300 km.
- Offshore distance ranges from 16 to 160 km.
- Width ranges from 60 to 250 km.
- Composition: Nearly 3,000 individual reefs and over 900 islands.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site: Declared in 1981.
- Protection: Marine protected area managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority of Australia.
- Biodiversity
- Marine Life: Home to around 2,000 species of fish, 600 coral species, 4,000 mollusk species, and over 250 different shrimp species.
- Other Inhabitants: Includes six of the seven known species of sea turtles, more than a dozen sea snakes, and nearly two dozen bird species.
Source: OM
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
1. Most of the world’s coral reefs are in tropical waters.
2. More than one-third of the world’s coral reefs are located in the territories of Australia, Indonesia and Philippines.
3. Coral reefs host far more number of animal phyla than those hosted by tropical rainforests.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2018 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d)