Selective impact of disease on coral communities: Outbreak of white syndrome causes significant total mortality of Acropora plate corals

J.A. Hobbs; A.J. Frisch; S.J. Newman; C.B. Wakefield

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0132528

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Selective impact of disease on coral communities: Outbreak of white syndrome causes significant total mortality of Acropora plate corals

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Selective impact of disease on coral communities: Outbreak of white syndrome causes significant total mortality of Acropora plate corals

J.A. Hobbs, A.J. Frisch, S.J. Newman and C.B. Wakefield

PLoS ONE, Vol.10(7), e0132528

2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0132528

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Abstract

Coral diseases represent a significant and increasing threat to coral reefs. Among the most destructive diseases is White Syndrome (WS), which is increasing in distribution and prevalence throughout the Indo-Pacific. The aim of this study was to determine taxonomic and spatial patterns in mortality rates of corals following the 2008 outbreak of WS at Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. WS mainly affected Acropora plate corals and caused total mortality of 36% of colonies across all surveyed sites and depths. Total mortality varied between sites but was generally much greater in the shallows (0–96% of colonies at 5 m depth) compared to deeper waters (0–30% of colonies at 20 m depth). Site-specific mortality rates were a reflection of the proportion of corals affected by WS at each site during the initial outbreak and were predicted by the initial cover of live Acropora plate cover. The WS outbreak had a selective impact on the coral community. Following the outbreak, live Acropora plate coral cover at 5 m depth decreased significantly from 7.0 to 0.8%, while the cover of other coral taxa remained unchanged. Observations five years after the initial outbreak revealed that total Acropora plate cover remained low and confirmed that corals that lost all their tissue due to WS did not recover. These results demonstrate that WS represents a significant and selective form of coral mortality and highlights the serious threat WS poses to coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific.

Details

Title: Selective impact of disease on coral communities: Outbreak of white syndrome causes significant total mortality of Acropora plate corals
Authors/Creators: J.A. Hobbs (Author/Creator)
A.J. Frisch (Author/Creator) - ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
S.J. Newman (Author/Creator) - Government of Western Australia
C.B. Wakefield (Author/Creator) - Government of Western Australia
Publication Details: PLoS ONE, Vol.10(7), e0132528
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Identifiers: 991005542970407891
Copyright: © 2015 Hobbs et al.
Murdoch Affiliation: Murdoch University
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.2 Marine Biology; 3.2.570 Coral Reef Ecology
Web Of Science research areas: Marine & Freshwater Biology
ESI research areas: Plant & Animal Science