Friday, October 18. 2019Lab-grown corals help restore critically endangered reefs
Scientists have for the first time successfully raised laboratory-bred colonies of a critically endangered Caribbean coral species to their reproductive age, a step towards sustainable restoration of degraded reefs. An estimated 80 per cent of all Caribbean corals have disappeared over the last four decades. The elkhorn coral (Acropora palmate) was one species whose decline was so severe that it was one of the first coral species to be listed as critically endangered under The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened species. Due to its large size and branching shape, elkhorn corals created vast forests in shallow reef waters that protect shores from incoming storms and provide a critical habitat for a myriad of reef organisms, including ecologically and economically important fish species. Elkhorn corals reproduce only once or twice a year, synchronously releasing their gametes (reproductive cells) into the water column. SECORE International researchers collected a small proportion of these gametes and produced coral embryos by in-vitro fertilization. Coral embryos develop into swimming larvae within days and eventually settle onto specifically designed substrates. After a short nursery period, researches outplanted the substrates with the newly-settles corals onto the reef.
Picture Credit : Google Friday, October 18. 2019World’s first robot-run farm to open in Japan
This Japanese firm, Spread, is to open the world’s first automated farm with robots handling almost every step of the process, from watering seedlings to harvesting crops. The only part of the process that would require human inputs is seeding. The farm, measuring about 4,400 square metres, will have floor-to-ceiling shelves where the produce is grown. The robots will also monitor levels of carbon dioxide in the air and adjust lighting and temperature to optimize growth. The use of LED lighting means energy costs will be slashed by almost a third, and about 98% per cent of the water need to grow the crops will be recycled. The indoor grow house will start operating by the middle of 2017 and produce 30,000 heads of lettuce a day. It hopes to boost that figure to half a million lettuce heads daily within five years.
Picture Credit : Google Friday, October 18. 2019'Extinct' Frog Rediscovered After 150 Years, Eats Mom's Eggs
Last recorded in the wild in 1870, Jerdon’s tree frog was feared extinct. But an expedition led by Indian biologist S. D. Biju found the elusive Frankixaius jerdonii in the East Khasi district of Meghalaya. They observed the frog hiding in hollow bamboo stems and tree holes around 19 feet above ground, where it carries out the remarkable breeding antics. Females attach their eggs to the insides of tree hollows which hold pools of water. When the tadpoles hatch, they fall in the water, where the females feed them unfertilized eggs until they turn into froglets.
Picture Credit : Google |
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