How does the proliferation of the coral-killing sponge Terpios hoshinota affect benthic community structure on coral reefs?

Incursion of killer spongeTerpios hoshinotaon the coral reefs of Lakshadweep archipelago

“…Since its first occurrence, it has been observed in several coral reef localities around the globe viz. the Great Barrier Reef 3 , Papua New Guinea 4 , Taiwan 5 , Philippines 6 , Indonesia 7 , South China Sea 8,9 , Thailand 6 , Palk Bay (PB)/Gulf of Mannar (GOM) (India) 10–12 , Maldives 13 , Mauritius 14 and our present observation, confirms that the species has further extended its habitat into the pristine atolls of Lakshadweep (Figure 1) (Indian Ocean) and requires urgent attention.…”

“…In Vaan Island (GOM) the dominant genus Montipora was the most susceptible 12 . Our observation though could not reveal any specific host coral selectivity, we can speculate that the dense Acropora (ACB) beds in station 3, 5 and 6 were more easily overgrown because the killer sponge prefers branching corals as reported from Mauritius 14 . We would further conclude that the coral composition in any specific location may play an important role in determining its host.…”

“…Prevalence of T.hoshinota in the southeastern reefs of India (~800km from Lakshadweep) is due to high anthropogenic stress and its close proximity to mainland 10–12 , however, a similar conclusion cannot be applied in the case of Lakshadweep because of its isolated geography 17 and with comparatively less anthropogenic activities. In terms of host selectivity, the killer sponge has affected several coral species in different parts of the world 1,10,12,14 and in the reefs of Palk Bay (PB), it affected all genus surveyed 10 . In Vaan Island (GOM) the dominant genus Montipora was the most susceptible 12 .…”

“…Terpios hoshinota is a belligerent contender for space 6 and is known to overgrow corals from its base where it interacts with turf algae 14 . In stations 3, 5 and 6 (Figure 3a), we observed ACB colonies with both algae (e.g.…”

Baseline reef health surveys at Bangka Island (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) reveal new threats

“…In Indonesia, the spread of the cyanobacteriosponge T. hoshinota in particular is worrying as this sponge has been linked to outbreaks of the so-called ‘black disease’ first observed by De Voogd, Cleary & Dekker (2013). Such infestations by T. hoshinota may have severe and persistent effects on reef areas within this region and on a global scale, however to date outbreaks appear to be spatially well defined and limited (Madduppa et al, 2015; Elliott et al, 2016; Van der Ent, Hoeksema & De Voogd, 2016). During our first visit of these reefs, back in September 2011, a wide area of reef off the Kahuku village (6 m depth) was observed to be affected by T. hoshinota (M Ponti, pers.…”