Coral disease dynamics in the USVI: finding resistance in a sea of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

▶
coral disease dynamics in the usvi
SMART_READER_LITE
LIVE PREVIEW

Coral disease dynamics in the USVI: finding resistance in a sea of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Nov 20, 2023 368 likes •752 views

Coral disease dynamics in the USVI: finding resistance in a sea of sickness Erinn Muller Program Manager, Staff Scientist Coral Health and Disease Program Mote Marine Laboratory Why are reefs important? Coral reefs are dying Carysfort Reef,

slide-1
SLIDE 1

Erinn Muller Program Manager, Staff Scientist Coral Health and Disease Program Mote Marine Laboratory

Coral disease dynamics in the USVI: finding resistance in a sea of sickness

slide-2
SLIDE 2

Why are reefs important?

slide-3
SLIDE 3

Coral reefs are dying

2011 1980

Carysfort Reef, Florida Keys

slide-4
SLIDE 4

Caribbean is a disease hotspot

Coral reef Coral-disease occurrence

8%

reefbase.org

66%

slide-5
SLIDE 5

WHITE BAND WHITE PLAGUE YELLOW BAND BLACK BAND WHITE POX DARK SPOT

slide-6
SLIDE 6

Study coral diseases

slide-7
SLIDE 7

USVI

slide-8
SLIDE 8

Healthy colony White pox colony

slide-9
SLIDE 9

Disease prevalence increased with water temperatures

slide-10
SLIDE 10

White pox did not follow a contagious disease model

slide-11
SLIDE 11

2005: warmest year on record

slide-12
SLIDE 12
slide-13
SLIDE 13
slide-14
SLIDE 14

JULY 2005 SEPT 2005 APR 2006 AUG 2006

slide-15
SLIDE 15

>60% loss in coral cover

slide-16
SLIDE 16

Disease prevalence was higher on bleached corals

slide-17
SLIDE 17

Environmental stress

Coral bleaching Host-susceptibility

Coral disease

Stress response

slide-18
SLIDE 18

Stress Sickness

slide-19
SLIDE 19

Caribbean yellow band disease

Apparently healthy tissue Diseased tissue

slide-20
SLIDE 20

Caribbean yellow band disease

  • Typically on Orbicella spp.
  • May be associated with

Vibrio spp. (bacteria)

  • Associated with warm water

temperatures

  • Progresses ~3 cm a year, but
  • ften completely kills colony
  • Increased in VI after 2005

bleaching event

slide-21
SLIDE 21

Hard-bottom habitat

slide-22
SLIDE 22

Identify diseased corals

10 x 10 m quadrat

slide-23
SLIDE 23

10 m 10 m Healthy coral Diseased coral

slide-24
SLIDE 24
slide-25
SLIDE 25
slide-26
SLIDE 26
slide-27
SLIDE 27

Dark spot syndrome

slide-28
SLIDE 28

Dark spot site Healthy site

slide-29
SLIDE 29

 Set up permanent sites to determine how yellow

band is changing over time

  • Are new colonies infected?
  • Is it spreading to sites that appear healthy today?
  • Are some corals getting healthy, or all dying?

 Determine what makes survivors resilient  Identify differences in microbial communities

between healthy and diseased colonies

 Test methods to mechanically remove disease

from corals

slide-30
SLIDE 30

Mechanically stopping disease progression

Before After

slide-31
SLIDE 31

Mechanically stopping disease progression

Chisel barrier Shading

slide-32
SLIDE 32

There is hope!

slide-33
SLIDE 33
slide-34
SLIDE 34

Find resilience within Mote’s coral nursery

slide-35
SLIDE 35

Test different genotypes for resilience Ocean acidification High water temperature Disease

slide-36
SLIDE 36

Future research: find resilience within Acropora nurseries of the Virgin Islands

EARTHANGLE

slide-37
SLIDE 37

Thank you!

Caroline Rogers Robert van Woesik Zandy Hillis Starr Ian Lundgren Clayton Pollock Tessa Code Jeff Miller Rob Waara Carly Randall Liz Whitcher Sara Williams Michael Crosby Kim Ritchie Erich Bartels Laura Mydlarz Monty Joe Clark Anthony Spitzack and many more…