Coral disease outbreak at the remote Flower Garden Banks, Gulf of Mexico

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dc.contributor.authorJohnston, Michelle
dc.contributor.authorStudivan, Michael
dc.contributor.authorEnochs, Ian
dc.contributor.authorCorrea, Adrienne
dc.contributor.authorBesemer, Nicole
dc.contributor.authorEckert, Ryan
dc.contributor.authorEdwards, Kimberly
dc.contributor.authorHannum, Ryan
dc.contributor.authorHu, Xinping
dc.contributor.authorNuttall, Marissa
dc.contributor.authorO'Connell, Kelley
dc.contributor.authorPalacio-Castro, Ana
dc.contributor.authorSchmahl, George
dc.contributor.authorSturm, Alexis
dc.contributor.authorUshijima, Blake
dc.contributor.authorVoss, Joshua
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-26T22:35:32Z
dc.date.available2023-01-26T22:35:32Z
dc.date.issued2023-01-26
dc.description.abstractEast and West Flower Garden Bank (FGB) are part of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) in the northwest Gulf of Mexico. This geographically-isolated reef system contains extensive coral communities with the highest coral cover (>50%) in the continental United States due, in part, to their remoteness and depth, and have historically exhibited low incidence of coral disease and bleaching despite ocean warming. Yet in late August 2022, disease-like lesions on seven coral species were reported during routine monitoring surveys on East and West FGB (2.1–2.6% prevalence). A series of rapid response cruises were conducted in September and October 2022 focused on 1) characterizing signs and epidemiological aspects of the disease across FGB and within long-term monitoring sites, 2) treating affected coral colonies with Base 2B plus amoxicillin, and 3) collecting baseline images through photostations and photomosaics. Marginal and/or multi-focal lesions and tissue loss were observed, often associated with substantial fish and invertebrate predation, affecting the dominant coral species Pseudodiploria strigosa (7–8% lesion prevalence), Colpophyllia natans (11–18%), and Orbicella spp. (1%). Characterizing this disease event during its early epidemic phase at East and West FGB provides a critical opportunity to observe how coral disease functions in a relatively healthy coral ecosystem versus on reefs chronically affected by various stressors (e.g., Caribbean reefs adjacent to urban centers). Insights into the etiology, spread, and impacts of the disease can ultimately inform efforts to mitigate its effects on coral communities.en_US
dc.identifier.citationJohnston MA, Studivan MS, Enochs IC, Correa AMS, Besemer N, Eckert RJ, Edwards K, Hannum R, Hu X, Nuttall M, O’Connell K, Palacio-Castro AM, Schmahl GP, Sturm AB, Ushijima B and Voss JD (2023) Coral disease outbreak at the remote Flower Garden Banks, Gulf of Mexico. Front. Mar. Sci. 10:1111749. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1111749en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.3389/fmars.2023.1111749
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1969.6/95172
dc.publisherFrontiers in Marine Scienceen_US
dc.titleCoral disease outbreak at the remote Flower Garden Banks, Gulf of Mexicoen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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