New tool for identifying endangered corals could aid conservation efforts
Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 13:10
in Biology & Nature
Coral conservation efforts could get a boost from a newly developed genotyping "chip"—the first of its kind for corals. The chip allows researchers to genetically identify corals and the symbiotic algae that live within the coral's cells, a vital step for establishing and maintaining genetic diversity in reef restoration efforts. The chip and its accompanying online analysis pipeline help to democratize the genetic identification of coral biodiversity, making it accessible to conservation biologists who might not have access to the laboratory and computational resources needed to extract DNA and analyze the data.