Day 7: Classroom

​By: Maddie Watts

Today we had our last classroom session with Mote Marine Laboratory. In class we learned about why coral reefs are important. 

They are important for lots of reasons, one of them being a barrier for Big storms like hurricanes. They act as a barrier to the Shoreline. We also learned about how Motes coral restoration happens. We did a restoration lab out in the outside classroom. We got to cut up coral and glue them on the plug like the scientists at Mote do to grow more coral of the same genotypes. Once we did that we got to do what the diving team at more does when they go out to our plant coral in the coral reef. They use a method called coral tree nurseries. This is where coral fragments are hung from the branches of the tree using monofilament line. From there they can start to grow more and eventually spawn.