[Coral-List] Amazing "first" discoveries

[Gene Shinn]

The exchange between John Bruno and Tom Goreau has provided 
interesting reading. I thank Jim for letting it slip through.  Tom 
mentions over and over that the diseases are prevalent when the water 
is warm  and subsides in the winter when it is cooler. Just want to 
remind all that African dust flux to Caribbean reefs occurs (about 1 
billion tons leaves North Africa each year) almost entirely during 
the summer. During winter months it settles into the Amazon.  The 
list  of viable microbial that have been cultured and identified 
presently is over 200 and remember that no more than 2 percent of all 
microbes  in the environment can be cultured. I won't even mention 
the viruses. For references See:

Kellogg, C. A., and Griffin D. W. 2006, Aerobiology and the global 
transport of desert dust, TRENDS in Ecology and Evolution Vol 21 No. 
11.

Griffin D. W., 2007, Atmospheric movement of microorganisms in clouds 
of desert dust and implications for human health, Clinical 
Microbiology Reviews, vol 20 No. 3.,  p. 459-477.

Garrison, V. H. et al., 2006 Saharan dust - a carrier of persistent 
organic pollutants, metals and microbes to the Caribbean? Rev. Biol. 
Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) vol. 54 (Suppl. 3): 9-21 
Dec 2006.

Weir-Brush J. R.,  et al.,  2004 The relataionship between gorgonian 
coral (Cnidaria:Gorgonacea) diseases and African dust storms, 
Aerobiologia 20: 119-126.

Garrison, V. H. et al. 2003, African and Asian dust: From Desert 
Soils to Coral Reefs. BioScience vol 53 No. 5 469-480.

Walsh, J. J. et al 2006, Red tides in the Gulf of Mexico:Where, when 
and why? Journal of Geophysical Research Vol. 111, C11003, (46 pages).

Good reading, Gene
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No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
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E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
University of South Florida
Marine Science Center (room 204)
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
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