Rosenberg Institute Seminar Series - Elora López-Nandam

Elora López-Nandam, Research Scientist, California Academy of Sciences

Spawning, Genomics, and Regeneration

Abstract
Recent scientific advances have made it possible to induce broadcast spawning in corals, and to rear juvenile corals. These are critical advances for reef restoration efforts, especially in light of recent mass mortality events. However, while breeding corals and other marine invertebrates for population management and conservation is increasingly viable, very little has been done to characterize the genetic diversity of aquarium-spawned corals. I will discuss recent findings on the genetics of corals spawned in the Coral Regeneration Lab at Cal Academy, efforts to improve growth and survival rates in young corals, and how this work can apply to other keystone marine invertebrates.

Bio
Elora López-Nandam is a Research Scientist at California Academy of Sciences, where she combines coral husbandry and genomics to inform best practices for coral conservation breeding programs. Her previous work includes somatic mutation accumulation and inheritance in corals, tracking the effects of marine heat waves on coral bleaching and recovery, and sea cucumber biogeography to inform conservation management. She completed her Ph.D. in Biology at Stanford University and B.A. in Environmental Biology at Columbia University.