Low-technology in-vitro cultivation of small corals fragments: A model system for clone production towards developing quality R&D".
Dr. Alex Camaya / Associate Professor
Bicol University, Philippines
Most of the profound findings in the past investigations of corals have focused on understanding its aspects of biology vis-a-vis growth–reproduction–dysfunction where the dynamics of the coexisting host animal and symbiotic algae are crucially challenged by stress and other factors. In experimental studies where several trials are done in controlled condition, it is sometimes necessary to establish a knowledge on how to produce coral cultures as samples, to lessen the extraction of healthy colonies from the reef. In such event, developing a plausible culture technique holds the key towards capability in propagating this highly subtle species. In this study, the method of inducing tissue regeneration in in-vitro system for scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis is essentially discussed. Following the procedure that was first established in 2014, numbers of isolated tiny fragments excised from small coral colonies had successfully grown just in glass dishes with raw seawater at room condition. These regenerating clones were then utilized as model samples in observing the growth, cell division and dysfunction of coral host and symbiotic cells revealed by light and electron microscopes. With the significant results of the experiments derived from utilizing these cultures, this study had demonstrated and further promote a low-technology system that produces mass number of viable clones for various academic, scientific R&Ds and even community-based undertakings including coral biotechnology, reef restoration efforts, husbandry and many others. However, there are still uncertainties in the success of propagation for other scleractinian species, hence this remains a challenging task for the future studies.