Vargas-Angel, B., Wheeler, B.

Coral health and disease assessment in the U.S. Pacific territories and affiliated states

2009

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 7-11 July 2008

175-179

Quantitative coral disease assessments were conducted at 40 different U.S. Pacific coral islands, banks, and atolls, spanning more than 5000 km apart and over a 40 degrees latitudinal gradient. Distribution and abundance of disease were determined based on 2, 25-m belt transects (2-6 wide) at 326 sites, and ten broad diseases were identified, affecting 25 scleractinian genera. Pacific-wide, the most geographically and taxonomically widespread diseases were bleaching and skeletal growth anomalies, detected at >65% islands/atolls and on 19 and 11 genera, respectively. Band diseases (black band and banded fungal disease) were rare (<0.1% prevalence), with only two cases enumerated on Porites and Coscinaraea. Although Pacific-wide mean prevalence was low, site-specific hotspots occurred at Johnston, Kure, and Rose Atolls, French Frigate Shoals, and Guam. Prevalence patterns also varied among coral taxa, with only a few families being disproportionately affected by disease: Poritidae, Acroporidae, and Faviidae. Of potential concern is the presence of white syndrome at Johnston Atoll and French Frigate Shoals which can result in severe and rapid tissue loss, particularly on the tabular Acropora cytherea.

FY2006 CRCP Project ID 1841; Project Title: Incidence and Characterization of Coral Diseases in the U.S. Pacific Islands; Principal Investigator: Rusty Brainard