Unified methods in collecting, preserving, and archiving coral bleaching and restoration specimens to increase sample utility and interdisciplinary collaboration
Rebecca Vega Thurber,
Emily R. Schmeltzer,
Andréa G. Grottoli,
Robert van Woesik,
Robert J. Toonen,
Mark Warner,
Kerri L. Dobson,
Rowan H. McLachlan,
Katie Barott,
Daniel J. Barshis,
Justin Baumann,
Leila Chapron,
David J. Combosch,
Adrienne MS Correa,
Thomas M. DeCarlo,
Mary Hagedorn,
Laetitia Hédouin,
Kenneth Hoadley,
Thomas Felis,
Christine Ferrier-Pagès,
Carly Kenkel,
Ilsa B. Kuffner,
Jennifer Matthews,
Mónica Medina,
Christopher Meyer,
Corinna Oster,
James Price,
Hollie M. Putnam,
Yvonne Sawall
Affiliations
Rebecca Vega Thurber
Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
Emily R. Schmeltzer
Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
Andréa G. Grottoli
School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
Robert van Woesik
Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Fl, United States
Robert J. Toonen
Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Kāne’ohe, HI, United States
Mark Warner
School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, United States
Kerri L. Dobson
School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
Rowan H. McLachlan
Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
Katie Barott
Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Daniel J. Barshis
Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, United States
Justin Baumann
Biology Department, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States
Leila Chapron
School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
David J. Combosch
Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam
Adrienne MS Correa
BioSciences Department, Rice University, Houstan, TX, United States
Thomas M. DeCarlo
College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Hawai’i Pacific University, Honolulu, HI, United States
Mary Hagedorn
Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Kāne’ohe, HI, United States
Laetitia Hédouin
Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environnement, Chargée de Recherches CNRS, Papetō’ai, Moorea, French Polynesia
Kenneth Hoadley
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
Thomas Felis
MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Christine Ferrier-Pagès
Marine Biology Department, Coral Ecophysiology team, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Monaco
Carly Kenkel
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Ilsa B. Kuffner
U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, FL, United States
Jennifer Matthews
Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Mónica Medina
Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
Christopher Meyer
Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Washington DC, United States
Corinna Oster
MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
James Price
School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
Hollie M. Putnam
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
Yvonne Sawall
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, St. George’s, St. George’s, Bermuda
Coral reefs are declining worldwide primarily because of bleaching and subsequent mortality resulting from thermal stress. Currently, extensive efforts to engage in more holistic research and restoration endeavors have considerably expanded the techniques applied to examine coral samples. Despite such advances, coral bleaching and restoration studies are often conducted within a specific disciplinary focus, where specimens are collected, preserved, and archived in ways that are not always conducive to further downstream analyses by specialists in other disciplines. This approach may prevent the full utilization of unexpended specimens, leading to siloed research, duplicative efforts, unnecessary loss of additional corals to research endeavors, and overall increased costs. A recent US National Science Foundation-sponsored workshop set out to consolidate our collective knowledge across the disciplines of Omics, Physiology, and Microscopy and Imaging regarding the methods used for coral sample collection, preservation, and archiving. Here, we highlight knowledge gaps and propose some simple steps for collecting, preserving, and archiving coral-bleaching specimens that can increase the impact of individual coral bleaching and restoration studies, as well as foster additional analyses and future discoveries through collaboration. Rapid freezing of samples in liquid nitrogen or placing at −80 °C to −20 °C is optimal for most Omics and Physiology studies with a few exceptions; however, freezing samples removes the potential for many Microscopy and Imaging-based analyses due to the alteration of tissue integrity during freezing. For Microscopy and Imaging, samples are best stored in aldehydes. The use of sterile gloves and receptacles during collection supports the downstream analysis of host-associated bacterial and viral communities which are particularly germane to disease and restoration efforts. Across all disciplines, the use of aseptic techniques during collection, preservation, and archiving maximizes the research potential of coral specimens and allows for the greatest number of possible downstream analyses.
