Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition

Bright, Allan J.; Cameron, Caitlin M.; Miller, Margaret W.

doi:10.7717/peerj.1239

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(43 reference statements)

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“…However, when looking at individual surveys, the proportion of snail occupied colonies appeared higher in the restored treatment beginning in S04 (approximately 26 months after reattachment) and remained at elevated levels relative to reference corals through the end of the study. Increased susceptibility to disease and predation following physical damage has been documented in a range of other studies (Knowlton et al 1981;Brandt et al 2013;Bright et al 2015). Results in the present study confirm that associated stressors are likely to continue following coral rescue and reattachment, but surviving corals have the ability to overcome these stressors and grow at comparable rates to undisturbed conspecifics.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Tracking growth and survival of rescued boulder corals

Bright

Miller

Bourque

2016

Restoration Ecology

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Patterns of survivorship and growth of rescued boulder corals from two vessel groundings in Biscayne National Park, Homestead, Florida, U.S.A., were evaluated over 5 years and compared to nearby undamaged reference corals. The rescued colonies had been dislodged but reattached in situ 10–12 years later (hereafter termed “restored” corals). Change in live coral tissue area was assessed using novel contoured tissue measurements which proved useful in detecting small changes in tissue area for slow‐growing coral species. At the initial survey, restored boulder corals had a higher level of partial mortality (33.8 ± 3.1%, mean ± SE) relative to reference corals (19.9 ± 2.5%), likely a result of prolonged detachment. During the course of the 5‐year monitoring period, whole‐colony mortality was greater for restored corals (13.1%) compared to reference corals (3.3%). For surviving corals, restored coral growth and recent mortality rates were similar to reference corals even though restored corals, especially those of Dichocoenia stokesii, had greater disease prevalence (19.7%) than reference corals (6.6%). These results suggest that dislodged boulder coral rescue following an acute disturbance can be an effective tool in stemming tissue loss. If dislodged corals were reattached in a more timely manner, we predict that the survival and tissue growth would be greater.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Tracking growth and survival of rescued boulder corals

Bright

Miller

Bourque

2016

Restoration Ecology

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“…Our data indicate that the diseases affecting A. cervicornis, while continuously observed in background levels, may also be exacerbated by increased water temperatures and disturbance events. It is also likely that fireworms and snails may be acting as vectors or reservoirs for pathogens as there is a relationship between the prevalence of disease and predation at both sites (Williams and Miller, 2005;Gignoux-Wolfsohn et al, 2012;Miller et al, 2014b;Bright et al, 2015). Above average air temperatures from May through mid-October 2009 caused SST to remain high through October, resulting in over 80 days at or above 30 • C. This increased duration of warmer waters preceded one of the highest prevalence of disease (70-94% of plots) and predation (80-90% of plots) recorded for this study, and prevalence remained high for the next two monitoring events, leading to a major decrease in live tissue at Scooter (−121 m 2 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Causes of Temporal Changes in Acropora cervicornis Populations and the Potential for Recovery

et al. 2019

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Corals, specifically the Atlantic staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, are under major threat as disturbance events such as storms and disease and predation outbreaks increase in frequency. Since its population declines due to a wide spread disease event in the early 1980s, limited long-term monitoring studies describing the impact of current threats and potential recovery have been completed. The aim of this study was to document the impacts of environmental (tropical storms, increased wind) and biological (disease and predation) threats on A. cervicornis to further understand its population dynamics and potential for recovery. Two high-density A. cervicornis patches (greater than 1 hectare each) were surveyed tri-annually (winter, summer, fall) from 2008-2016. A. cervicornis percent cover, canopy height, census of individuals, and prevalence and occurrence of disease, predation, and bleaching were evaluated within permanent 3.5 m radial plots (n = 27 and 31). Temporal variability was observed in mean percent live cover at both patches and showed an overall loss of tissue. Frequent disturbances such as tropical storms, hurricanes, and disease events, caused increased, prolonged, and widespread mortality. Periods void of disturbance allowed for recovery and growth. Prevalence and occurrence of disease and predation were highly variable between monitoring events. They were also found to be significantly higher on masses (individuals ≥ 1.5 m) than on colonies and during summer surveys (June-August). These data indicate that substantial length of time between major disturbance events is necessary for recovery and growth of this species. The implication of these results is that given the current rates of growth, recruitment, and storm frequency, natural species recovery is unlikely unless large scale issues like climate change and ocean warming, which affect the intensity and frequency of disease and predation, are addressed.

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“…Conversely, the snail Coralliophila abbreviate consumed higher amounts of diseased or mechanically damaged fragments than healthy fragments of the coral Acropora cervicornis (Bright et al. 2015). As another example, bleached tissues of the macroalgae Delisea pulchra were consumed at a higher rate than unbleached tissue, and simulated herbivory increased susceptibility to bleaching (Campbell et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular analysis of a fungal disease in the habitat‐forming brown macroalga Phyllospora comosa (Fucales) along a latitudinal gradient

Ferrari

Gonçalves

Campbell

et al. 2021

Journal of Phycology

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Infectious diseases affecting habitat‐forming species can have significant impacts on population dynamics and alter the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems. Recently, a fungal infection was described as the causative agent of necrotic lesions on the stipe of the forest‐forming macroalga Phyllospora comosa, a disease named “stipe rot” (SR). Here, we developed a quantitative PCR (qPCR) method for rapid detection and quantification of this pathogen, which was applied to evaluate the level of SR infection in eight P. comosa populations spanning the entire latitudinal distribution of this species along southeastern Australia. We also investigated the relationship between the abundance and prevalence of Stipe Rot Fungus (SRF) and potential host chemical defenses as well as its relationship with morphological and ecophysiological traits of P. comosa. qPCR estimates of SRF abundance reflected the levels of infection estimated by visual assessment, with higher numbers of SRF copies being observed in individuals showing high or intermediate levels of visual symptoms of SR. Concordance of conventional PCR and visual assessments was 92 and 94%, respectively, compared to qPCR detection. SRF prevalence was positively related to fucoxanthin content and herbivory, but not significant related to other traits measured (phlorotannin content, total length, thallus diameter, stipe width, number of branches, frond width, fouling, bleaching, gender, and photosynthetic efficiency). These results provide confidence for previous reports of this disease based upon visual assessments only, contribute to the development of monitoring and conservation strategies for safeguarding P. comosa forests, and generate insights into potential factors influencing host–pathogen interactions in this system.

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Enhanced susceptibility to predation in corals of compromised condition

Cited by 15 publications

References 40 publications

Tracking growth and survival of rescued boulder corals

Tracking growth and survival of rescued boulder corals

Identifying Causes of Temporal Changes in Acropora cervicornis Populations and the Potential for Recovery

Molecular analysis of a fungal disease in the habitat‐forming brown macroalga Phyllospora comosa (Fucales) along a latitudinal gradient

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