Journal
DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS
Volume 83, Issue 3, Pages 209-222Publisher
INTER-RESEARCH
DOI: 10.3354/dao02012
Keywords
Coral diseases; Caribbean corals; Octocorals; Wider Caribbean; Distribution
Categories
Funding
- Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- World Bank Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building
- NOAA-CRES [NA170p2919]
- Department of Natural Resources of Puerto Rico
- Department of Marine Sciences, UPR
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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 x 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 Curacao, 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.
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