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Coral carbonate production is fundamental to reef accretion and, consequently, the preservation of essential reef ecosystem services, such as wave attenuation and sustained reef biodiversity. However, the unprecedented loss of coral reefs from anthropogenic impacts has put these valuable ecosystem services at risk. To counteract this loss, active rehabilitation of degraded reef sites has accelerated globally. A variety of restoration practices exist, tailored to local site needs and reef types. For sites where there is a significant unconsolidated substrate, Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS, or "Reef Stars") has been utilised to contribute toward rubble stabilisation and reef accretion. However, the effect of the Reef Stars on the local carbonate budgets and structural complexity has not been assessed. For that purpose, we assess coral cover and reef complexity through a census-based approach to identify the contribution of carbonate producers and eroders alongside studying coral skeletal properties to estimate current carbonate budgets on a rehabilitated site compared to natural unrehabilitated reef and rubble patches on the mid-Great Barrier Reef. Our research identified positive ecological processes and ecological functions such as increased carbonate budget, coral cover and structural complexity at the restored site compared to the non-intervened reef and rubble patches. In general, no impacts on skeletal rigour relative to this active reef restoration were found for two key coral species and the Acropora rubble for most of the skeletal traits. However, Pocillopora damicornis hardness seemed to decrease on the restored site compared to the other sites, demonstrating different performances of coral species during restoration activities that should be considered to maximise return-on-effort of restoration activities. Overall, our data demonstrate that consideration of carbonate budgets is important for measuring success of coral restoration initiatives and that coral restoration can be a relevant tool to recover lost local carbonate budgets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first part of this series, we delve into the foundational aspects of "Message in a Bottle (MIAB)" (henceforth referred to as MIAB). This study builds upon the legacy of the Voyager Golden Records, launched aboard Voyager 1 and 2 in 1977, which aimed to communicate with intelligent species beyond our world. These records not only offer a snapshot of Earth and human civilization but also represent our desire to establish contact with advanced alien civilizations. Given the absence of mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic conventions, MIAB, like its predecessor, uses scientific methods to design an innovative means of communication that encapsulates the story of humanity. Our goal is to share our collective knowledge, emotions, innovations, and aspirations in a way that provides a universal, yet contextually relevant, understanding of human society, the evolution of life on Earth, and our hopes and concerns for the future. Through this time and space traveling capsule, we also strive to inspire and unify current and future generations to celebrate and safeguard our shared human experience. Plain Language Summary: This article is the first in a series about "Message in a Bottle" (or MIAB for short) in a cosmic ocean. One may envision MIAB as an initiative towards the creation of a modern version of the special records sent into space in 1977 on the Voyager spacecrafts. Those records were like a hello from Earth, hoping to reach any smart beings out there in the universe. Since we are presently unaware of how these beings might communicate or what symbols they would possibly understand, we need to get creative in how we share our story. MIAB is our way of showing who we are, what we've learned, how we feel, and what we dream of for the future. It's not just for beings in space; we hope it helps people now and in the future come together and value our shared journey on Earth. Key Points: We're crafting a message for a future space mission, hoping to reach and chat with smart life forms beyond EarthThe message gives a broad but detailed view of today's human society, our planet's life story, and the big challenges aheadThis project is a brave step in showcasing the full richness and depth of human life and experience [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The declining reproductive viability of corals threatens their ability to adapt to changing ocean conditions. It is vital that we monitor this viability quantitatively and comparatively. Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) systems offer in-depth analysis used regularly for domestic and wildlife species, but not yet for coral. This study proposes quality control procedures and CASA settings that are effective for coral sperm analysis. To resolve disparities between CASA measurements and evaluations by eye, two negative effects on motility had to be resolved, slide adhesion (procedural) and sperm dilution (biological). We showed that the addition of bovine serum albumin, or caffeine, or both to fresh sperm reduced adhesion in the CASA cassettes, improved motility and motile sperm concentration (P < 0.0001), yet these additions did not affect measurements of total sperm concentration. Diluting coral sperm reduced sperm motility (P = 0.039), especially from heat-stressed corals. We found CASA concentration counts comparable to haemocytometer and flow cytometer measures (P = 0.54). We also found that motile sperm per egg is a useful predictor of fertilisation success, using cryopreserved sperm. Standard measurements of coral reproductive characteristics inform our understanding of the impacts of climate change on reef populations; this study provides a benchmark to begin this comparative work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has increased the incidence of coral bleaching events, resulting in the loss of ecosystem function and biodiversity on reefs around the world. As reef degradation accelerates, the need for innovative restoration tools has become acute. Despite past successes with ultra-low temperature storage of coral sperm to conserve genetic diversity, cryopreservation of larvae has remained elusive due to their large volume, membrane complexity, and sensitivity to chilling injury. Here we show for the first time that coral larvae can survive cryopreservation and resume swimming after warming. Vitrification in a 3.5 M cryoprotectant solution (10% v/v propylene glycol, 5% v/v dimethyl sulfoxide, and 1 M trehalose in phosphate buffered saline) followed by warming at a rate of approximately 4,500,000 °C/min with an infrared laser resulted in up to 43% survival of Fungia scutaria larvae on day 2 post-fertilization. Surviving larvae swam and continued to develop for at least 12 hours after laser-warming. This technology will enable biobanking of coral larvae to secure biodiversity, and, if managed in a high-throughput manner where millions of larvae in a species are frozen at one time, could become an invaluable research and conservation tool to help restore and diversify wild reef habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]