Global coral disease prevalence associated with sea temperature anomalies and local factors

Abstract

Coral diseases are taking an increasing toll on coral reef structure and biodiversity and are important indicators of declining health in the oceans. We implemented standardized coral disease surveys to pinpoint hotspots of coral disease, reveal vulnerable coral families and test hypotheses about climate drivers from 39 locations worldwide. We analyzed a 3 yr study of coral disease prevalence to identify links between disease and a range of covariates, including thermal anomalies (from satellite data), location and coral cover, using a Generalized Linear Mixed Model. Prevalence of unhealthy corals, i.e. those with signs of known diseases or with other signs of compromised health, exceeded 10% on many reefs and ranged to over 50% on some. Disease prevalence exceeded 10% on 20% of Caribbean reefs and 2.7% of Pacific reefs surveyed. Within the same coral families across oceans, prevalence of unhealthy colonies was higher and some diseases were more common at sites in the Caribbean than those in the Pacific. The effects of high disease prevalence are potentially extensive given that the most affected coral families, the acroporids, faviids and siderastreids, are among the major reef-builders at these sites. The poritids and agaricids stood out in the Caribbean as being the most resistant to disease, even though these families were abundant in our surveys. Regional warm temperature anomalies were strongly correlated with high disease prevalence. The levels of disease reported here will provide a much-needed local reference point against which to compare future change.

Viruses in corals: hidden drivers of coral bleaching and disease?

“…First, warm seawater temperature anomalies that lead to mass bleaching events have increased in frequency and have left corals less time to recover 2 . Such temperature anomalies have been associated with higher disease incidence, possibly due to increased activity of pathogenic bacteria at elevated temperatures combined with reduced immunocompetence of stressed corals 3 . Second, the growing spatial scale of anthropogenic impacts on coral reefs such as reduced water quality 4 and tourism activities 5 have also been linked to higher disease prevalence.…”

Temperature-induced behavioral switches in a bacterial coral pathogen

“…Coral reefs around the globe are declining due to a confluence of factors, including increased disease and rising ocean temperatures (Hoegh-Guldberg 2004;Pandolfi et al, 2003;Ruiz-Morenol et al, 2012). Although we know that elevated seawater temperatures destabilize the coral-algal symbiosis that is critical for coral survival (Baker et al, 2008), we know far less about the linkages between warming waters and coral disease.…”

Proteomic profiling of healthy and diseased hybrid soft corals Sinularia maxima × S. polydactyla

“…Disease is one of the primary stressors affecting the loss of reefbuilding corals, and coral diseases have increased worldwide over the past 3 decades due to interactions with other stressors, including climate change and reduced water quality. These have reduced host immunity and increased pathogen abundance and virulence, contributing to the widespread prevalence of disease in marine organisms (Martin et al 2010, Ruiz-Moreno et al 2012, Altizer et al 2013, Burge et al 2014.…”

“…Among marine diseases, those affecting scleractinian corals are reported with increasing frequency and often on a global scale (Ruiz-Moreno et al 2012). However, in spite of their prominence in the literature and on the reef, diseases are not confined to reef-building corals, and diseases of soft corals are also increasingly common.…”