A Semi-Automated Workflow for the Cryopreservation of Coral Sperm to Support Biobanking and Aquaculture

Our research program aims to develop and apply cryopreservation and biobanking technologies to help secure the genetic diversity and biodiversity of corals in Australia and globally. Cryopreservation of coral sperm has been possible for a decade, but coral spawning is limited to just a few nights each year, which provides us a narrow opportunity to bank the genetics of threatened species. We aim to enhance these protocols to improve cryopreservation efficiency during coral spawning events.

Semi-automated processing pathway that we've developed helps to streamline the assessment handling and cryopreservation of coral sperm to improve the efficiency of sample processing and metadata management in the field. This helps us to maximize the number of samples that can be cryopreserved during those limited biobanking opportunities. So the protocol developed here is easily transferable and relatively inexpensive to implement.

So it can be used by scientists and reef managers around the world to help manage reproduction and genetics in coral populations, and help to support restoration programs to prevent the extinction of coral species.