Mission Blue II
Kristen Marhaver: How we're growing baby corals to rebuild reefs
Filmed:
Readability: 4.4
899,361 views
Kristen Marhaver studies corals, tiny creatures the size of a poppyseed that, over hundreds of slow years, create beautiful, life-sustaining ocean structures hundreds of miles long. As she admits, it's easy to get sad about the state of coral reefs; they're in the news lately because of how quickly they're bleaching, dying and turning to slime. But the good news is that we're learning more and more about these amazing marine invertebrates -- including how to help them (and help them help us). This biologist and TED Senior Fellow offers a glimpse into the wonderful and mysterious lives of these hard-working and fragile creatures.
Kristen Marhaver - Coral reef biologist
TED Senior Fellow Kristen Marhaver is a marine biologist studying the ecology, behavior and reproduction of reef corals. Full bio
TED Senior Fellow Kristen Marhaver is a marine biologist studying the ecology, behavior and reproduction of reef corals. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
What was the most
difficult job you ever did?
difficult job you ever did?
0
836
2288
00:15
Was it working in the sun?
1
3882
1282
00:17
Was it working to provide food
for a family or a community?
for a family or a community?
2
5564
2786
00:21
Was it working days and nights
trying to protect lives and property?
trying to protect lives and property?
3
9134
3935
00:25
Was it working alone
4
13661
1191
00:26
or working on a project
that wasn't guaranteed to succeed,
that wasn't guaranteed to succeed,
5
14876
3380
00:30
but that might improve
human health or save a life?
human health or save a life?
6
18280
2817
00:33
Was it working to build something,
create something, make a work of art?
create something, make a work of art?
7
21667
5003
00:38
Was it work for which you were never sure
8
26991
1987
00:41
you were fully understood or appreciated?
9
29002
3251
00:45
The people in our communities
who do these jobs
who do these jobs
10
33113
2256
00:47
deserve our attention, our love
and our deepest support.
and our deepest support.
11
35393
3633
00:51
But people aren't the only ones
in our communities
in our communities
12
39417
2443
00:53
who do these difficult jobs.
13
41884
1802
00:56
These jobs are also done
by the plants, the animals
by the plants, the animals
14
44114
2762
00:58
and the ecosystems on our planet,
15
46900
2432
01:01
including the ecosystems I study:
the tropical coral reefs.
the tropical coral reefs.
16
49356
3489
01:05
Coral reefs are farmers.
17
53640
1962
01:07
They provide food, income
and food security
and food security
18
55626
3210
01:10
for hundreds of millions
of people around the world.
of people around the world.
19
58860
2563
01:13
Coral reefs are security guards.
20
61447
2710
01:16
The structures that they build
protect our shorelines
protect our shorelines
21
64181
2757
01:18
from storm surge and waves,
22
66962
1857
01:20
and the biological systems
that they house filter the water
that they house filter the water
23
68843
3666
01:24
and make it safer for us to work and play.
24
72533
2399
01:27
Coral reefs are chemists.
25
75552
2562
01:30
The molecules that we're discovering
on coral reefs are increasingly important
on coral reefs are increasingly important
26
78138
3769
01:33
in the search for new antibiotics
and new cancer drugs.
and new cancer drugs.
27
81931
3573
01:37
And coral reefs are artists.
28
85528
2155
01:39
The structures that they build
29
87707
1495
01:41
are some of the most
beautiful things on planet Earth.
beautiful things on planet Earth.
30
89226
2550
01:43
And this beauty is the foundation
of the tourism industry
of the tourism industry
31
91800
2786
01:46
in many countries with few
or little other natural resources.
or little other natural resources.
32
94610
4521
01:51
So for all of these reasons,
all of these ecosystem services,
all of these ecosystem services,
33
99877
3260
01:55
economists estimate the value
of the world's coral reefs
of the world's coral reefs
34
103161
2685
01:57
in the hundreds of billions
of dollars per year.
of dollars per year.
35
105870
2996
02:01
And yet despite all that hard work
being done for us
being done for us
36
109271
3107
02:04
and all that wealth that we gain,
37
112402
2196
02:06
we have done almost everything
we possibly could to destroy that.
we possibly could to destroy that.
38
114622
4445
02:11
We have taken the fish out of the oceans
39
119091
1953
02:13
and we have added in fertilizer, sewage,
40
121068
2598
02:15
diseases, oil, pollution, sediments.
41
123690
3899
02:19
We have trampled the reefs physically
with our boats, our fins, our bulldozers,
with our boats, our fins, our bulldozers,
42
127613
3873
02:23
and we have changed the chemistry
of the entire sea,
of the entire sea,
43
131510
2507
02:26
warmed the waters and made storms worse.
44
134041
2628
02:28
And these would all be bad on their own,
45
136693
2151
02:30
but these threats magnify each other
46
138868
1758
02:32
and compound one another
and make each other worse.
and make each other worse.
47
140650
2956
02:35
I'll give you an example.
48
143630
1393
02:37
Where I live and work, in Curaçao,
a tropical storm went by a few years ago.
a tropical storm went by a few years ago.
49
145047
4325
02:41
And on the eastern end of the island,
50
149396
1889
02:43
where the reefs are intact and thriving,
51
151309
1944
02:45
you could barely tell
a tropical storm had passed.
a tropical storm had passed.
52
153277
2959
02:48
But in town, where corals had died
from overfishing, from pollution,
from overfishing, from pollution,
53
156260
5325
02:53
the tropical storm picked up
the dead corals
the dead corals
54
161609
2103
02:55
and used them as bludgeons
to kill the corals that were left.
to kill the corals that were left.
55
163736
2942
02:59
This is a coral that I studied
during my PhD --
during my PhD --
56
167361
2317
03:01
I got to know it quite well.
57
169702
1569
03:03
And after this storm
took off half of its tissue,
took off half of its tissue,
58
171295
3079
03:06
it became infested with algae,
59
174398
1669
03:08
the algae overgrew the tissue
and that coral died.
and that coral died.
60
176091
2755
03:11
This magnification of threats,
this compounding of factors
this compounding of factors
61
179416
3962
03:15
is what Jeremy Jackson describes
as the "slippery slope to slime."
as the "slippery slope to slime."
62
183402
4834
03:20
It's hardly even a metaphor
because many of our reefs now
because many of our reefs now
63
188699
3553
03:24
are literally bacteria
and algae and slime.
and algae and slime.
64
192276
3564
03:28
Now, this is the part of the talk
65
196954
1612
03:30
where you may expect me
to launch into my plea
to launch into my plea
66
198590
2889
03:33
for us to all save the coral reefs.
67
201503
2673
03:36
But I have a confession to make:
68
204835
2108
03:39
that phrase drives me nuts.
69
207744
2595
03:42
Whether I see it in a tweet,
in a news headline
in a news headline
70
210363
3691
03:46
or the glossy pages
of a conservation brochure,
of a conservation brochure,
71
214078
3587
03:49
that phrase bothers me,
72
217689
1823
03:51
because we as conservationists
have been sounding the alarms
have been sounding the alarms
73
219536
2928
03:54
about the death
of coral reefs for decades.
of coral reefs for decades.
74
222488
2404
03:56
And yet, almost everyone I meet,
no matter how educated,
no matter how educated,
75
224916
4060
04:01
is not sure what a coral is
or where they come from.
or where they come from.
76
229000
3823
04:05
How would we get someone to care
about the world's coral reefs
about the world's coral reefs
77
233489
3325
04:08
when it's an abstract thing
they can barely understand?
they can barely understand?
78
236838
3669
04:13
If they don't understand
what a coral is or where it comes from,
what a coral is or where it comes from,
79
241371
3072
04:16
or how funny or interesting
or beautiful it is,
or beautiful it is,
80
244467
2667
04:19
why would we expect them
to care about saving them?
to care about saving them?
81
247158
2639
04:22
So let's change that.
82
250510
1318
04:23
What is a coral
and where does it come from?
and where does it come from?
83
251852
2541
04:27
Corals are born
in a number of different ways,
in a number of different ways,
84
255287
2168
04:29
but most often by mass spawning:
all of the individuals of a single species
all of the individuals of a single species
85
257479
4223
04:33
on one night a year,
86
261726
1336
04:35
releasing all the eggs
they've made that year
they've made that year
87
263086
2713
04:37
into the water column,
88
265823
1194
04:39
packaged into bundles with sperm cells.
89
267041
2444
04:41
And those bundles go to the surface
of the ocean and break apart.
of the ocean and break apart.
90
269509
3476
04:45
And hopefully -- hopefully --
at the surface of the ocean,
at the surface of the ocean,
91
273009
2746
04:47
they meet the eggs and sperm
from other corals.
from other corals.
92
275779
2221
04:50
And that is why you need
lots of corals on a coral reef --
lots of corals on a coral reef --
93
278024
3108
04:53
so that all of their eggs can
meet their match at the surface.
meet their match at the surface.
94
281156
3544
04:57
When they're fertilized, they do
what any other animal egg does:
what any other animal egg does:
95
285254
3108
05:00
divides in half again and again and again.
96
288386
2245
05:03
Taking these photos
under the microscope every year
under the microscope every year
97
291059
2478
05:05
is one of my favorite and most
magical moments of the year.
magical moments of the year.
98
293561
3168
05:08
At the end of all this cell division,
they turn into a swimming larva --
they turn into a swimming larva --
99
296753
3953
05:12
a little tiny blob of fat
the size of a poppy seed,
the size of a poppy seed,
100
300730
3734
05:16
but with all of the sensory
systems that we have.
systems that we have.
101
304488
2670
05:19
They can sense color and light,
textures, chemicals, pH.
textures, chemicals, pH.
102
307182
5656
05:24
They can even feel pressure waves;
they can hear sound.
they can hear sound.
103
312862
3001
05:28
And they use those talents
104
316253
1294
05:29
to search the bottom of the reef
for a place to attach
for a place to attach
105
317571
2833
05:32
and live the rest of their lives.
106
320428
1599
05:34
So imagine finding a place
where you would live the rest of your life
where you would live the rest of your life
107
322051
3376
05:37
when you were just two days old.
108
325451
1773
05:39
They attach in the place
they find most suitable,
they find most suitable,
109
327780
2767
05:42
they build a skeleton
underneath themselves,
underneath themselves,
110
330571
2079
05:44
they build a mouth and tentacles,
111
332674
1589
05:46
and then they begin the difficult work
of building the world's coral reefs.
of building the world's coral reefs.
112
334287
4103
05:51
One coral polyp will divide itself
again and again and again,
again and again and again,
113
339124
3845
05:54
leaving a limestone skeleton
underneath itself
underneath itself
114
342993
2341
05:57
and growing up toward the sun.
115
345358
2065
05:59
Given hundreds of years and many species,
116
347906
2722
06:02
what you get is a massive
limestone structure
limestone structure
117
350652
2338
06:05
that can be seen from space in many cases,
118
353014
2512
06:07
covered by a thin skin
of these hardworking animals.
of these hardworking animals.
119
355550
3368
06:11
Now, there are only a few hundred species
of corals on the planet, maybe 1,000.
of corals on the planet, maybe 1,000.
120
359625
4405
06:16
But these systems house millions
and millions of other species,
and millions of other species,
121
364435
4734
06:21
and that diversity is what
stabilizes the systems,
stabilizes the systems,
122
369193
2484
06:23
and it's where we're finding
our new medicines.
our new medicines.
123
371701
2214
06:25
It's how we find new sources of food.
124
373939
3069
06:29
I'm lucky enough to work
on the island of Curaçao,
on the island of Curaçao,
125
377841
2341
06:32
where we still have reefs
that look like this.
that look like this.
126
380206
2256
06:34
But, indeed, much of the Caribbean
and much of our world
and much of our world
127
382486
4311
06:38
is much more like this.
128
386821
1866
06:40
Scientists have studied
in increasing detail
in increasing detail
129
388711
3023
06:43
the loss of the world's coral reefs,
130
391758
1782
06:45
and they have documented
with increasing certainty the causes.
with increasing certainty the causes.
131
393564
3561
06:49
But in my research, I'm not
interested in looking backward.
interested in looking backward.
132
397149
2992
06:52
My colleagues and I in Curaçao
are interested in looking forward
are interested in looking forward
133
400165
3061
06:55
at what might be.
134
403250
1357
06:56
And we have the tiniest reason
to be optimistic.
to be optimistic.
135
404631
3662
07:00
Because even in some of these reefs
136
408824
1777
07:02
that we probably could have
written off long ago,
written off long ago,
137
410625
3649
07:06
we sometimes see baby corals
arrive and survive anyway.
arrive and survive anyway.
138
414298
4465
07:11
And we're starting to think
that baby corals may have the ability
that baby corals may have the ability
139
419193
3275
07:14
to adjust to some of the conditions
that the adults couldn't.
that the adults couldn't.
140
422492
3603
07:18
They may be able to adjust
141
426119
2016
07:20
ever so slightly more readily
to this human planet.
to this human planet.
142
428159
3882
07:24
So in the research I do
with my colleagues in Curaçao,
with my colleagues in Curaçao,
143
432890
4043
07:28
we try to figure out
what a baby coral needs
what a baby coral needs
144
436957
2513
07:31
in that critical early stage,
145
439494
1524
07:33
what it's looking for
146
441042
1167
07:34
and how we can try to help it
through that process.
through that process.
147
442233
2540
07:36
I'm going to show you three examples
of the work we've done
of the work we've done
148
444797
2841
07:39
to try to answer those questions.
149
447662
1937
07:42
A few years ago we took a 3D printer
and we made coral choice surveys --
and we made coral choice surveys --
150
450575
4775
07:47
different colors and different textures,
151
455374
1936
07:49
and we simply asked the coral
where they preferred to settle.
where they preferred to settle.
152
457334
2870
07:52
And we found that corals,
even without the biology involved,
even without the biology involved,
153
460228
2985
07:55
still prefer white and pink,
the colors of a healthy reef.
the colors of a healthy reef.
154
463237
3159
07:58
And they prefer crevices
and grooves and holes,
and grooves and holes,
155
466420
3135
08:01
where they will be safe
from being trampled
from being trampled
156
469579
2024
08:03
or eaten by a predator.
157
471627
1316
08:05
So we can use this knowledge,
158
473276
1456
08:06
we can go back and say
we need to restore those factors --
we need to restore those factors --
159
474756
3019
08:09
that pink, that white, those crevices,
those hard surfaces --
those hard surfaces --
160
477799
3179
08:13
in our conservation projects.
161
481002
1743
08:14
We can also use that knowledge
162
482769
1461
08:16
if we're going to put something
underwater, like a sea wall or a pier.
underwater, like a sea wall or a pier.
163
484254
3539
08:19
We can choose to use the materials
and colors and textures
and colors and textures
164
487817
3040
08:22
that might bias the system
back toward those corals.
back toward those corals.
165
490881
3831
08:27
Now in addition to the surfaces,
166
495487
1977
08:29
we also study the chemical
and microbial signals
and microbial signals
167
497488
2497
08:32
that attract corals to reefs.
168
500009
2028
08:34
Starting about six years ago,
I began culturing bacteria
I began culturing bacteria
169
502061
2900
08:36
from surfaces where corals had settled.
170
504985
2092
08:39
And I tried those one by one by one,
171
507101
2833
08:41
looking for the bacteria that would
convince corals to settle and attach.
convince corals to settle and attach.
172
509958
4766
08:46
And we now have many
bacterial strains in our freezer
bacterial strains in our freezer
173
514748
3150
08:49
that will reliably cause corals
174
517922
1509
08:51
to go through that settlement
and attachment process.
and attachment process.
175
519455
2969
08:54
So as we speak,
176
522448
1199
08:55
my colleagues in Curaçao
are testing those bacteria
are testing those bacteria
177
523671
2420
08:58
to see if they'll help us raise
more coral settlers in the lab,
more coral settlers in the lab,
178
526115
3324
09:01
and to see if those coral settlers
will survive better
will survive better
179
529463
2587
09:04
when we put them back underwater.
180
532074
1809
09:06
Now in addition to these tools,
we also try to uncover the mysteries
we also try to uncover the mysteries
181
534304
3225
09:09
of species that are under-studied.
182
537553
2453
09:12
This is one of my favorite corals,
and always has been:
and always has been:
183
540839
3289
09:16
dendrogyra cylindrus, the pillar coral.
184
544152
2489
09:19
I love it because it makes
this ridiculous shape,
this ridiculous shape,
185
547073
2907
09:22
because its tentacles
are fat and look fuzzy
are fat and look fuzzy
186
550004
3143
09:25
and because it's rare.
187
553171
1440
09:26
Finding one of these on a reef is a treat.
188
554635
2474
09:29
In fact, it's so rare,
189
557695
1152
09:30
that last year it was listed
as a threatened species
as a threatened species
190
558871
2516
09:33
on the endangered species list.
191
561411
1855
09:35
And this was in part because
in over 30 years of research surveys,
in over 30 years of research surveys,
192
563290
3307
09:38
scientists had never found
a baby pillar coral.
a baby pillar coral.
193
566621
3856
09:42
We weren't even sure
if they could still reproduce,
if they could still reproduce,
194
570803
2414
09:45
or if they were still reproducing.
195
573241
1999
09:47
So four years ago, we started
following these at night
following these at night
196
575760
2669
09:50
and watching to see if we could
figure out when they spawn in Curaçao.
figure out when they spawn in Curaçao.
197
578453
4289
09:55
We got some good tips
from our colleagues in Florida,
from our colleagues in Florida,
198
583992
2688
09:58
who had seen one in 2007, one in 2008,
199
586704
4058
10:02
and eventually we figured out
when they spawn in Curaçao
when they spawn in Curaçao
200
590786
2673
10:05
and we caught it.
201
593483
1359
10:06
Here's a female on the left
with some eggs in her tissue,
with some eggs in her tissue,
202
594866
2698
10:09
about to release them into the seawater.
203
597588
1920
10:11
And here's a male
on the right, releasing sperm.
on the right, releasing sperm.
204
599532
2637
10:14
We collected this, we got it
back to the lab, we got it to fertilize
back to the lab, we got it to fertilize
205
602783
3684
10:18
and we got baby pillar corals
swimming in our lab.
swimming in our lab.
206
606491
3284
10:22
Thanks to the work
of our scientific aunts and uncles,
of our scientific aunts and uncles,
207
610520
2540
10:25
and thanks to the 10 years of practice
we've had in Curaçao
we've had in Curaçao
208
613084
2857
10:27
at raising other coral species,
209
615965
2193
10:30
we got some of those larvae
to go through the rest of the process
to go through the rest of the process
210
618182
3875
10:34
and settle and attach,
211
622081
1652
10:35
and turn into metamorphosed corals.
212
623757
2711
10:38
So this is the first pillar coral baby
that anyone ever saw.
that anyone ever saw.
213
626492
4744
10:43
(Applause)
214
631786
5420
10:49
And I have to say --
if you think baby pandas are cute,
if you think baby pandas are cute,
215
637230
3174
10:52
this is cuter.
216
640428
1238
10:53
(Laughter)
217
641690
1983
10:56
So we're starting to figure out
the secrets to this process,
the secrets to this process,
218
644236
3124
10:59
the secrets of coral reproduction
and how we might help them.
and how we might help them.
219
647384
3348
11:03
And this is true all around the world;
220
651089
1848
11:04
scientists are figuring out new ways
to handle their embryos,
to handle their embryos,
221
652961
2892
11:07
to get them to settle,
222
655877
1158
11:09
maybe even figuring out the methods
to preserve them at low temperatures,
to preserve them at low temperatures,
223
657059
4534
11:13
so that we can preserve
their genetic diversity
their genetic diversity
224
661617
3116
11:16
and work with them more often.
225
664757
1882
11:18
But this is still so low-tech.
226
666984
2873
11:22
We are limited by the space on our bench,
the number of hands in the lab
the number of hands in the lab
227
670260
5015
11:27
and the number of coffees
we can drink in any given hour.
we can drink in any given hour.
228
675299
4170
11:32
Now, compare that to our other crises
229
680105
2493
11:34
and our other areas
of concern as a society.
of concern as a society.
230
682622
3213
11:38
We have advanced medical technology,
we have defense technology,
we have defense technology,
231
686265
3652
11:41
we have scientific technology,
232
689941
1597
11:43
we even have advanced technology for art.
233
691562
2426
11:46
But our technology
for conservation is behind.
for conservation is behind.
234
694012
5397
11:53
Think back to the most
difficult job you ever did.
difficult job you ever did.
235
701022
3145
11:56
Many of you would say
it was being a parent.
it was being a parent.
236
704662
3235
12:00
My mother described being a parent
237
708314
1657
12:01
as something that makes your life
far more amazing and far more difficult
far more amazing and far more difficult
238
709995
4211
12:06
than you could've ever possibly imagined.
239
714230
2530
12:08
I've been trying to help corals
become parents for over 10 years now.
become parents for over 10 years now.
240
716784
4025
12:13
And watching the wonder of life
241
721563
2170
12:15
has certainly filled me with amazement
to the core of my soul.
to the core of my soul.
242
723757
4027
12:19
But I've also seen how difficult
it is for them to become parents.
it is for them to become parents.
243
727808
3482
12:24
The pillar corals spawned
again two weeks ago,
again two weeks ago,
244
732450
2180
12:26
and we collected their eggs
and brought them back to the lab.
and brought them back to the lab.
245
734654
2889
12:29
And here you see one embryo dividing,
246
737567
2058
12:31
alongside 14 eggs that didn't fertilize
247
739649
2874
12:34
and will blow up.
248
742547
1660
12:36
They'll be infected with bacteria,
they will explode
they will explode
249
744532
2735
12:39
and those bacteria will threaten
the life of this one embryo
the life of this one embryo
250
747291
3742
12:43
that has a chance.
251
751057
2130
12:45
We don't know if it was our handling
methods that went wrong
methods that went wrong
252
753576
2963
12:48
and we don't know
253
756563
1627
12:50
if it was just this coral on this reef,
always suffering from low fertility.
always suffering from low fertility.
254
758214
4918
12:55
Whatever the cause,
255
763582
1305
12:56
we have much more work to do
before we can use baby corals
before we can use baby corals
256
764911
4517
13:01
to grow or fix or, yes,
maybe save coral reefs.
maybe save coral reefs.
257
769452
4942
13:07
So never mind that they're worth
hundreds of billions of dollars.
hundreds of billions of dollars.
258
775450
3071
13:10
Coral reefs are hardworking animals
and plants and microbes and fungi.
and plants and microbes and fungi.
259
778545
5427
13:15
They're providing us with art
and food and medicine.
and food and medicine.
260
783996
3620
13:20
And we almost took out
an entire generation of corals.
an entire generation of corals.
261
788012
3576
13:23
But a few made it anyway,
despite our best efforts,
despite our best efforts,
262
791975
4041
13:28
and now it's time for us to thank them
for the work they did
for the work they did
263
796040
3132
13:31
and give them every chance they have
to raise the coral reefs of the future,
to raise the coral reefs of the future,
264
799196
4825
13:36
their coral babies.
265
804045
1488
13:37
Thank you so much.
266
805557
1195
13:38
(Applause)
267
806776
6195
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kristen Marhaver - Coral reef biologistTED Senior Fellow Kristen Marhaver is a marine biologist studying the ecology, behavior and reproduction of reef corals.
Why you should listen
Dr. Kristen Marhaver's work combines classic scientific methods with new technologies to help threatened coral species survive their early life stages. She was the first person to rear juveniles of the endangered Caribbean Pillar Coral. Now she's now developing bacterial tools to improve coral survival at all life stages.
Marhaver's research has been covered by NPR, BBC, The Atlantic and Popular Science, among hundreds of outlets. She's earned five fellowships and grants from the US National Science Foundation and multiple awards for science communication. Marhaver is a TED Senior Fellow, a WINGS Fellow, and a World Economic Forum Young Scientist.
Outside the lab, Marhaver advocates for stronger ocean conservation and smarter science communication. Her talks and articles have been featured by Google, Wired UK, Mission Blue and by ocean and scuba festivals around the world.
A scuba diver from the age of 15, Marhaver is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology and the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her lab is based at the CARMABI Research Station on the island of Curaçao.
Kristen Marhaver | Speaker | TED.com