Dynamics of Black Band Disease in a Diploria strigosa population subjected to annual upwelling on the northeastern coast of Venezuela

• Published in: Coral reefs Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 381 - 388
• Main Authors: RODRIGUEZ, S, CROQUER, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-06-2008; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Coral reefs; Diploria strigosa; Disease; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Life Sciences; Low temperature; Marine; Marine ecology; Mortality; Oceanography; Sea surface temperature; Sea water ecosystems; Seasons; Synecology; Upwelling; ASW, Venezuela, Nueva Esparta, Cubagua I., El Mercado Reef; ASW, Caribbean Sea; Venezuela; Epizootiology; Upwelling; Prevalence; Marginal reef; Virulence; Incidence; Venezuela; Disease; Dynamics; Coral reef; Epizootiology .Incidence
• ISSN: 0722-4028; 1432-0975
• DOI: 10.1007/s00338-007-0341-8

Temporal variability of Black Band Disease (BBD) prevalence, incidence, recurrence, recovery and virulence was estimated in a
Diploria strigosa
population from an upwelling zone of Venezuela, for 1 year between August 2004 and August 2005. The sampling spanned both upwelling and non-upwelling seasons, and included three samplings, roughly 60 days apart, within each season. The negative effects of BBD epizootiology in the sampling population (El Mercado reef) were positively correlated with sea surface temperature (taken as an upwelling estimator). Disease prevalence, incidence and recurrence decreased significantly during upwelling, and the recovery rate increased. Contrary to expectations, tissue mortality did not decrease significantly during the upwelling season, remaining at 1.2 ± 0.7 mm day
−1
. BBD prevalence, and the ensuing rates of tissue mortality were higher than values previously reported for other Caribbean reefs, even during upwelling episodes, suggesting that nutrient enrichment of the local waters by upwelling counteracts the expected reductions of the disease prevalence and virulence due to the lower temperature. Colonies which had previously been infected with BBD were up to six times more susceptible to new infections than those which were not infected during the preceding 7 months, suggesting that the infected colonies never healed completely. The high variability between tissue mortality values among coral colonies also suggests that overall host health-status may alter susceptibility to BBD infections.