Florida scientists induce spawning of Atlantic coral in lab for first time

Eggs rise in the water column from a Pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindricus) as it successfully spawns in an aquarium for the first time at a Florida Aquarium facility in Apollo Beach, Florida U.S., August 22, 2019. Florida Aquarium/Handout via REUTERS

APOLLO BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - Scientists in Florida have artificially induced reproductive spawning of an endangered Atlantic coral species for the first time in an aquarium setting, a breakthrough they say holds great promise in efforts to restore depleted reefs in the wild.

The achievement, announced this week at the Florida Aquarium in Apollo Beach near Tampa, borrowed from lab techniques developed at the London-based Horniman Museum and Gardens and used previously to induce spawning of 18 species of Pacific coral, officials said.