Journal
DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS
Volume 87, Issue 1-2, Pages 97-104Publisher
INTER-RESEARCH
DOI: 10.3354/dao02139
Keywords
Coral disease; Porites; Host abundance; Guam
Categories
Funding
- Guam Coral Reef Initiative
- World Bank
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Current information regarding the effects of coral diseases on Indo-Pacific reefs lags behind that of the Caribbean. Considering that these reefs are geographically widespread, speciose, often highly influenced by human coastal populations, and inadequately monitored, developing a baseline database is a primary management issue for local scientists. In a first attempt to quantify diseases in Micronesia, Guam reefs were assessed for disease prevalence, host abundance, and community structure. Surveys of 15 reefs revealed 6 disease states affecting 8 families of reef-building corals and highly variable prevalence between sites, ranging from 0.2 to 12.6%. Guam reefs are taxonomically diverse but dominated by the genus Porites. Coral generic host abundance showed a significant and positive link with total disease prevalence. Five out of 6 of the observed disease states affected Porites spp. (mean prevalence within the genus: 6.14 +/- 0.88%), and acroporids and pocilloporids also showed high susceptibility. As the coral genera currently most affected by diseases are those providing the most structure to Guam's reefs, disease has the potential to have significant long-term effects, highlighting an urgent need for proactive management.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available