Spatial variability in distribution and prevalence of Caribbean scleractinian coral and octocoral diseases. II. Genera-level analysis

Abstract

Geographic assessments of coral/octocoral diseases affecting major reef-building genera and abundant reef species are important to understand their local and geographic spatial-temporal variability and their impact. The status and spatial variability of major Caribbean coral/octocoral diseases affecting important reef-building coral (Montastraea, Diploria, Siderastrea, Stephanocoenia, Porites, and Agaricia) and common, widespread octocoral genera (Gorgonia and Pseudopterogorgia) was assessed along 4 permanent 10 × 2 m band-transects in each of 3 depth habitats (< 4, 5-12 and >15 m) on 2 reefs in 6 countries across the wider Caribbean during the summer and fall of 2005. A permutational multivariate analysis of variance was used to test the spatial variability (countries, reef sites and depth habitats) in prevalence of major diseases in these genera. We found a significant interaction of disease prevalence in the different coral and octocoral genera between reef sites and habitats (depth intervals). Montastraea was primarily affected by both white plague (WP-II) and yellow band disease in deep (16.9 ± SE 16% and 16.9 ± SE 2.3%) and intermediate (8.1 ± SE 1.6% and 15.5 ± SE 2.3%) depth habitats of Culebrita (Puerto Rico) and Chub Cut (Bermuda), respectively. Prevalence of multiple diseases simultaneously and other compromised-health problems affecting Montastraea colonies varied between 0.2 to 2% and 0.2 to 1.8%, respectively. Agaricia and Diploria were mostly affected by WP-II (0.5 to 16%), black band disease (0.4 to 5%) and Caribbean ciliate infections (0.2 to 12%). Siderastrea and Stephanocoenia were mainly affected by dark spots disease in Curaçao, with higher prevalence in intermediate (40.5 ± SE 6.2%) and deep (26.6 ± SE 4.2%) habitats. Aspergillosis and other compromised-health conditions affected Gorgonia ventalina (0.2 to 8%) and other common and widespread octocoral genera (1 to 14%), respectively.

Patterns of coral ecological immunology: variation in the responses of Caribbean corals to elevated temperature and a pathogen elicitor

“…The three Caribbean coral species used in this study were selected because of their disparate life-history characteristics and observed variation in susceptibility to disease and bleaching (Gardella and Edmunds, 2001;Cróquer and Weil, 2009a;Edmunds, 2010), and they consistently demonstrated significantly different baseline levels of immunity. In all six immunity measures, P. astreoides had considerably higher levels than both M. faveolata and S. intersepta.…”

“…Conversely, P. astreoides displays weed-like life-history characteristics and has increased in relative abundance within the Caribbean (Green et al, 2008;Edmunds, 2010), despite a high percentage becoming bleached during the widespread Caribbean bleaching in 2005 (Oxenford et al, 2008;Brandt, 2009;Cróquer and Weil, 2009b). Stephanocoenia intersepta is considered a disease-susceptible hard coral, and has total disease prevalence similar to that of M. faveolata and other Montastraea species (Cróquer and Weil, 2009a), but the lowest percentage bleaching of the three coral species (Cróquer and Weil, 2009b).…”

“…Cróquer and Weil, 2009a;Cróquer and Weil, 2009b;Edmunds, 2010). Montastraea faveolata colonies are the primary framework builders of Caribbean coral reefs; however, because of an apparent high susceptibility to thermal stress and coral disease (Cróquer and Weil, 2009b), abundances of this genus are in decline (Miller et al, 2006;Edmunds and Elahi, 2007).…”

Coral Reef Resilience through Biodiversity

“…It seems logical that thermally stressed corals would be more likely to become diseased [84], but not many studies conclusively demonstrate this connection. In one of the few studies of multiple diseases over a wide geographic area, Cróquer and Weil [78,79] explored the link between bleaching severity in 2005 and disease prevalence a year later on reefs from Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman, Panama, Curacao, and Grenada. Although they found a signi�cant correlation between the percent of bleached corals and disease prevalence, some sites with intense bleaching did not have increase in disease.…”

“…We need to know more about the links among different stressors, for example among high seawater temperatures, bleaching, and coral disease [75][76][77][78][79][80][81]. (Bleaching is a disease but it is differentiated here from diseases associated with initial tissue loss (see [82]). )…”