PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 17: Aquatic Systems.
Thursday, August 7 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.
Environmental factors and coral community composition associated with coral diseases in the northern Florida keys and Bahamas' Exuma Chain.
Voss, Joshua*,1, Richardson, Laurie1, 1 Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
ABSTRACT- The increase in the number of coral diseases and the expansion of their ranges over the past 25 years pose serious threats to the health of coral reef ecosystems worldwide. Thus far, little is known about coral epidemiology or the conditions that promote coral infection. While some studies provide data on the distribution of these diseases, few studies have addressed the factors that may drive the distributions. Anthropogenic nutrient loading, increased sedimentation, and global climate change (including increased temperature) have been suggested in the literature as potential causes of the increase in coral disease incidence. This research specifically addressed 11 environmental factors (total nitrogen, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, soluble phosphorus, total phosphorus, turbidity, salinity, depth, temperature, and sedimentation) and 4 coral community composition factors (species richness, species diversity, colony size, and density [colonies/ m2]) associated with coral disease incidence and prevalence on reefs of the northern Florida Keys Reef Tract and reefs near Lee Stocking Island in the Bahamas' Exuma Chain. Intra- and inter-regional comparisons were made between transects containing infected individuals and transects with no signs of disease. The Florida Keys exhibited greater disease prevalence coupled with higher levels of total nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, and salinity. Lower disease prevalence, higher phosphorous levels, and greater species richness, diversity, and density were observed in the Exumas. Intra-regionally, temperature, sedimentation, density, and colony size differed between diseased and healthy sites. This is the first study to provide direct regional comparisons of coral disease along with the environmental factors and community composition associated with infections.
Key words: nutrient availability, coral disease, Florida Keys, Lee Stocking Island