Taronga scientists have been hard at work collecting and cryopreserving new coral species from the Great Barrier Reef in a bid to secure the Australian attraction's future as part of the Taronga Reef Recovery Project.
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Taronga's Senior Reproductive Biologist Dr Rebecca Hobbs, based in Dubbo, said they have banked three new coral species into the Taronga CryoDiversity Bank.
The Great Barrier Reef collection, located at Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo and Taronga Zoo Sydney, now represents 29 different coral species.
The team has also banked coral samples from four different reefs in the northern region of the Greater Barrier Reef, adding to the 'genetic diversity of the species already represented'.
"The bank now includes living samples from reefs across the northern, southern and central region of the Great Barrier Reef, this includes reproductive cells from high conservation value, heat-tolerant corals," Dr Hobbs said.
"Over the past 10 years, we have worked collaboratively to develop and apply new technologies to preserve cells.
"Our work demonstrates the ability of cryopreserved coral sperm to fertilise fresh coral eggs and produce juvenile corals.
"Cryopreservation and biobanking of living coral cells allow us to buy time and capture the current genetic diversity of the Great Barrier Reef before it's lost.
"We will use these samples in the coming years, or even decades, to breed new corals, helping safeguard the reef's future."
The cryopreservation of the Great Barrier Reef has been led by an all-female team from Taronga and their success was put under the spotlight on Thursday, which marked the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Taronga scientist Dr Justine O'Brien said at Taronga, 67 per cent of the Welfare Conservation and Science team are female and leading the way with projects focused on wildlife health, biodiversity conservation, ecology, nutrition and conservation behaviour and welfare.
"Our commitment to an organisational culture that supports and enables diversity across gender, cultural background and other workforce dimensions is integral in advancing our conservation science programs and ensuring Taronga remains a leader in conservation," Dr O'Brien said.
Last year also marked a decade since the projects 2011 launch.
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