[CDHC] new paper Oceanography Drew Harvell et al.
Cheryl Woodley
cheryl.woodley at noaa.gov
Wed Jul 18 17:09:40 EDT 2007
Hi CDHC members,
Drew Harvell sent me one of their new papers. Unfortunately I can't
attach pdf's but please contact Drew or myself if you're interested.
All the Best,
Cheryl
*
Coral Disease, Environmental Drivers, and the Balance between Coral and
Microbial Associates*
BY THE CORAL DISEASE WORKING GROUP OF THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITY
CORAL REEF TARGETED RESEARCH PROGRAM:
Drew Harvell, Eroc Jordan–Dahlgren, Susan Merkel, Eugene Rosenberg,
Laurie Raymundo, Garriet Smith, Ernesto Weil, and Bette Willis
Oceanography 20: 58-81, 2007
Across the Globe we are witnessing the decline of coral reef ecosystems.
One relatively new factor contributing to this decline is the outbreak
of destructive infectious diseases, especially on Caribbean reefs. As
the Coral Disease Working Group of the Coral Reef Targeted Research
Program, our research focuses on four priorities: (1) assessing the
global prevalence of coral disease, (2) investigating the environmental
drivers of disease, (3) identifying the pathogens that cause disease,
and (4) evaluating the coral’s ability to resist disease. Monitoring has
revealed new coral-disease syndromes at each of four Global
Environmental Fund Centers of Excellence: the Caribbean, the
Philippines, Australia, and East Africa. Over the last 20 years, drastic
(> 50 percent) loss of coral cover has occurred on the Yucatán
Peninsula, even in pristine areas. Global surveys have revealed
significant levels of disease and disease outbreaks occurring not only
in the Caribbean “hot spots,” but also in sites throughout the Pacific
and Indian Oceans. By monitoring coral disease, we will create a
baseline and long-term data set that can be used to test specific
hypotheses about how climate and anthropogenic drivers, such as
decreasing water quality, threaten coral reef sustainability. One such
hypothesis is that high-temperature anomalies drive outbreaks of disease
by hindering the coral’s ability to fight infection and by increasing
the pathogens’ virulence. We observed recurrent outbreaks following the
warm summer months of two of the most damaging diseases in the
Caribbean. In addition, we found that coral disease in the Great Barrier
Reef correlated with warm temperature anomalies. In the Caribbean and
Mediterranean Seas, virulence of known coral pathogens and the normal
coral flora changed during high-temperature periods. Other stresses such
as high nutrients and sedimentation may similarly alter the balance
between the coral and its resident microbial flora.
--
Cheryl Woodley, Ph.D.
Coral Health and Disease Program
DOC/NOAA/NOS/NCCOS
Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research
Hollings Marine Laboratory
331 Fort Johnson Rd
Charleston, SC 29412
843.762.8862 Phone
843.762.8737 Fax
cheryl.woodley at noaa.gov
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