Dark Spots Disease and Yellow Band Disease, Two Poorly Known Coral Diseases with High Incidence in Caribbean Reefs

Gil-Agudelo, Diego L.; Smith, Garriet W.; Garzón-Ferreira, Jaime; Weil, Ernesto; Petersen, Dirk

doi:10.1007/978-3-662-06414-6_19

Cited by 37 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Although DSS is clearly capable of causing tissue necrosis, we have not observed DSSrelated mortality at our study sites over 2 yr. It also does not appear that DSS caused a marked reduction in tissue regenerative ability of Siderastrea siderea, as previously suggested (Garces-Baquero 2000 cited in Gil-Agudelo et al 2004); in almost every case, our coring scars were completely regenerated by the next sampling period (in some cases less than 2 mo). DSS in S. siderea clearly varies on a variety of spatial and temporal scales, but the mechanisms behind this variation have yet to be elucidated.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

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Colony versus population variation in susceptibility and resistance to dark spot syndrome in the Caribbean coral Siderastrea siderea

Gochfeld

Olson²,

Slattery³

2006

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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Scleractinian corals appear to be increasingly susceptible to pathogenic diseases, yet it is poorly understood why certain individuals, populations or species are more susceptible to diseases than others. Clearly an understanding of mechanisms of disease resistance in corals is essential to our understanding of patterns of disease incidence and virulence; this work must begin by examining the colony and population levels of organization. The Caribbean coral Siderastrea siderea exhibits variability in susceptibility to dark spot syndrome (DSS), a disease of unknown origin that can result in tissue necrosis. On the reef scale, variability in DSS prevalence in S. siderea occurred through time, but was not correlated with site, seawater temperature or depth. We monitored colonies of S. siderea affected by DSS, as well as their nearest neighbor controls, for 2 years in the Bahamas and found a marked decline in extent of DSS infection in October of both years. A preliminary survey of antimicrobial activity in S. siderea indicated selective activity against certain ecologically relevant bacteria. To assess whether changes in chemical defenses were responsible for the observed temporal variability in DSS prevalence, we sampled S. siderea for qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical variability between resistant and susceptible colonies of S. siderea. These data suggest that phenotypic plasticity in antimicrobial activity may impact microbial settlement and/or survival.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Dark spot syndrome (DSS), also called dark spots disease, was first described in the 1990s (GarzonFerreira & Gil 1998) and has since been observed throughout the Caribbean (Weil et al 2000, Borger 2003, Gil-Agudelo et al 2004, Weil 2004). Because DSS was described only recently, relatively little is known about this disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colony versus population variation in susceptibility and resistance to dark spot syndrome in the Caribbean coral Siderastrea siderea

Gochfeld

Olson²,

Slattery³

2006

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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“…YBD has become particularly insidious, with outbreaks affecting 18 to 91% of the Montastraea colonies in reefs throughout the western Atlantic, including sites in Panama, the Netherland Antilles, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and other locations (Santavy et al 1999, Cervino et al 2001, Bruckner & Bruckner 2003, 2006b, Gil-Agudelo et al 2004, Jordán-Dahlgren & Rodríguez-Martínez 2004, Weil & Cróquer 2009). On reefs off Mona Island, YBD was the most prevalent disease, and it caused more tissue loss to Montastraea annularis (complex) than any other factor (Bruckner & Bruckner 2006a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ten years of change to coral communities off Mona and Desecheo Islands, Puerto Rico, from disease and bleaching

Bruckner

Hill²

2009

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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Remote reefs off southwest Puerto Rico have experienced recent losses in live coral cover of 30 to 80%, primarily due to the decline of Montastraea annularis and M. faveolata from disease and bleaching. These species were formerly the largest, oldest, and most abundant corals on these reefs, constituting over 65% of the living coral cover and 40 to 80% of the total number of colonies. From 1998 to 2001, outbreaks of yellow band disease (YBD) and white plague (WP) affected 30 to 60% of the M. annularis (complex) colonies. Disease prevalence declined beginning in 2002, and then increased immediately following the 2005 mass bleaching event. Colonies of M. annularis (complex) have been reduced in abundance by 24 to 32%, and remaining colonies are missing more than half their tissue. Both M. annularis and M. faveolata have failed to recruit, resheeting has been minimal, and exposed skeletal surfaces are being colonized by macroalgae, bioeroding sponges, and hydrozoans. Other scleractinian corals were smaller in size (mean = 28 cm diameter) and exhibited lower levels of partial mortality; these taxa were affected to a lesser extent by coral diseases and bleaching-associated tissue loss over the last decade. The numbers of small colonies (1 to 9 cm) of these species identified since 2005 also exceeded numbers of larger colonies that died. These reefs appear to be exhibiting shifts in species assemblages, with replacement of M. annularis (complex) by shorter-lived brooding species and other massive and plating corals (Agaricia, Porites, Meandrina, Eusmilia, Diploria, and Siderastrea spp.). To avoid a catastrophic and permanent loss of the dominant, slow-growing reef-building corals, the causes and effects of diseases need to be better understood, and possible control mechanisms must be developed. In particular, steps must be taken to mitigate environmental and anthropogenic stressors that increase the spread and severity of disease.

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“…It is not clear at this point if they are the same disease with different etiologies or different diseases displaying similar signs (Gil-Agudelo et al 2004;Weil 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Dark spots disease (DSD) is a recently discovered disease that affects different species of corals in different parts of the Caribbean Sea (Goreau et al 1998;Gil-Agudelo et al 2004). First discovered in Colombia (Garzón-Ferreira and Gil 1998;Gil-Agudelo and Garzón-Ferreira 2001), this disease was the most common affliction found in the Colombian Caribbean during the last years of the 1990s and has become one of the most prevalent in the Caribbean (Weil 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Bacterial communities associated with the mucopolysaccharide layers of three coral species affected and unaffected with dark spots disease

et al. 2007

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Dark spots disease (DSD) is a relatively new coral disease that has become one of the most prevalent afflictions in the Caribbean Sea. To partially characterize bacterial communities associated with DSD, carbon utilization patterns of bacterial strains isolated from the surface mucopolysaccharide layers of healthy and DSD-affected Montastraea annularis, Montastraea faveolata, and Siderastrea siderea were compared with each other and with bacterial strains isolated from the water column by using cluster analysis. Differences between healthy and diseased corals were found and were greatest for M. annularis than for the other species. A metabolic group of bacteria similar to Vibrio carchariae was found to be unique to diseased samples. Inoculation experiments on healthy corals did not result in the development of disease signs. However, our results support the hypothesis that stress (in this case disease) alters the normal microbiota in the coral surface mucopolysaccaride layers. Studies are continuing to determine the pathogenic agent(s) responsible for DSD.

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Dark Spots Disease and Yellow Band Disease, Two Poorly Known Coral Diseases with High Incidence in Caribbean Reefs

Cited by 37 publications

References 5 publications

Colony versus population variation in susceptibility and resistance to dark spot syndrome in the Caribbean coral Siderastrea siderea

Colony versus population variation in susceptibility and resistance to dark spot syndrome in the Caribbean coral Siderastrea siderea

Ten years of change to coral communities off Mona and Desecheo Islands, Puerto Rico, from disease and bleaching

Bacterial communities associated with the mucopolysaccharide layers of three coral species affected and unaffected with dark spots disease

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