Abstract
ABSTRACTCorals are under siege by both local and global threats, creating a wordwide reef crisis. Cryopreservation is an important intervention measure and a vital component of the modern coral conservation toolkit, but preservation techniques are currently limited to sensitive reproductive materials that can only be obtained a few nights per year during spawning. Here, we report the first successful cryopreservation and revival of cm-scale coral fragments via mL-scale isochoric vitrification. We demonstrate coral viability at 24h post-thaw using a calibrated oxygen-uptake respirometry technique, and further show that the method can be applied in a passive, electronics-free configuration. Finally, we detail a complete prototype coral cryopreservation pipeline, which provides a platform for essential next steps in modulating postthaw stress and initiating long-term growth. These findings pave the way towards an approach that can be rapidly deployed around the world to secure the biological genetic diversity of our vanishing coral reefs.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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