FSU biologist uncovers how different coral reproduction methods shape Caribbean reefs’ future
by Kendall Cooper, Florida State University
June 18, 2025
A Florida State University ecology and evolutionary biologist has discovered that the reproductive methods of individual coral species play a crucial role in their ability to survive, and even thrive, amid a rapidly changing environment.
New research published by Professor of Biological Science Don Levitan examines how the mustard hill coral — a species found in the Caribbean that produces asexually — has survived at much higher rates than another form of coral that relies on the egg-and-sperm method of reproduction.
These findings were published in May in the journal Ecology.
“Coral reefs, particularly in the Caribbean, have undergone decades of degradation due to a variety of stressors, most or all attributed to human activities,” Levitan said. “However, not all coral species are declining at the same rate, and some species — at least for now — are still relatively common. This study highlights how a combination of long-term monitoring and modern genetic analysis techniques can uncover previously unknown patterns and processes of coral survival.”
Read the Ecology paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecy.70102