The purple cauliflower soft coral Dendronephthya australis, now listed as an endangered species, was almost completely wiped out in the Port Stephens estuary and along the coast. That's a tragedy because this coral shelters young snapper and the endangered White's seahorse.

Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge hampered recovery efforts—until now.

In our new research we discovered how the coral reproduces. We used IVF (in-vitro fertilization) to create baby coral in the lab. And we successfully transplanted the coral into the wild. This offers new hope for the survival of the species.

Variety is the spice of life

Corals have a complicated sex life. There's more than one way to "do it". And gender varies too.

Corals can reproduce asexually, meaning they create genetic copies of themselves. This process often entails shedding polyps that can attach to reefs to form new colonies.

Using this process is a common approach for coral restoration. It's a bit like propagating plants. Cuttings or fragments are removed from adult colonies, briefly maintained in the lab, and then new corals are transplanted into the wild. This isn't a simple process for soft corals, though we have been exploring ways to make this work for Dendronephthya australis.