Inspired by a trip to the dentist, Dr. Kate Quigley presents a new method of monitoring coral size and growth that cuts survey time by 99%. The methodology and results are published in the British Ecological Society’s journal, Methods in Ecology and Evolution.
Dr Kate Quigley, senior research scientist at the Minderoo Foundation who carried out the research at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and James Cook University, has developed a new non-destructive method to scan coral quickly and safely, reducing previously laborious costs. and long surveying techniques.
Inspired by a visit to the dentist, Dr. Quigley commented on the similarities between coral and our teeth: both are calcium-based and require measuring tools that can withstand wet surfaces. “One day, I was at the dentist and they launched this new scanning machine. I immediately knew it was something that could be applied to scanning very small corals given that corals and teeth share many similar properties. The rest it’s history!”
Coral reefs are among the most productive ecosystems on earth and provide essential nutritional and protective services to people around the world. These important ecosystems have suffered severe declines in recent decades, prompting a great deal of research into their basic biology and restoration. Understanding the critical life stage of juvenile coral allows scientists to predict ecosystem changes, the impacts of disturbances and their potential for recovery.
Reconstructing 3D models of coral reveals information about its health and response to pressures such as increased temperature or acidification. Several methods exist for constructing and evaluating these 3D models, but their effectiveness is reduced when measurements are constructed at small scales.
Dr Quigley said: “Currently, it is difficult to accurately measure very small objects in 3D, especially if you are interested in measuring small living animals, such as coral, without damaging them.
“During my PhD it would take half a day to produce a scan, and I was interested in scanning hundreds of corals at once.
“For the first time, this new method will allow scientists to measure thousands of tiny corals quickly, accurately and without any negative impact on coral health. This has the potential to expand large-scale monitoring of coral health “ocean and increase coral. reef restoration.”
To assess the effectiveness of these dental scanners, namely the ITero Element 5D Flex, Dr Quigley measured juvenile corals in the National Sea Simulator at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences. The coral, from the Great Barrier Reef, was temporarily removed from its indoor aquarium and its surface area and volume were recorded before being returned to the tanks.
On average, it took less than three minutes to scan and build a model of each individual coral compared to more than 4 hours with previous methods – a 99% decrease in the time required to carry out these measurements. Dr. Quigley recorded equally fast and accurate performance when measuring and comparing models of dead skeletons and living coral tissue. Elimination of the need to sacrifice live animals to take measures.
While this is a big step forward in reducing the time involved in tracking and studying small marine animals, the 3D scans still need to be processed manually, which slows down analysis. Dr Quigley hopes the next avenue for this research will be to try to create an automated analysis pipeline from scan to measurement, potentially using AI.
Currently, this technology can only be used to perform measurements out of water. The hardware is not waterproof as the scanner is based on confocal laser technology.
“Potentially, the scanner could be made completely waterproof. However, it’s not clear how well the laser technology would work completely underwater. We’ve taken this technology on board before and collected wild and lab-grown corals to measure them, so we’re getting there!”
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