31 results on '"Bette L. Willis"'
Search Results
2. Correction: The Roles and Interactions of Symbiont, Host and Environment in Defining Coral Fitness.
- Author
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Jos C. Mieog, Jeanine L. Olsen, Ray Berkelmans, Silvia A. Bleuler-Martinez, Bette L. Willis, and Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Published
- 2009
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Cumulative Effects of Nutrient Enrichment and Elevated Temperature Compromise the Early Life History Stages of the Coral Acropora tenuis
- Author
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Sam H. C. Noonan, Adriana Humanes, Katharina E. Fabricius, Bette L. Willis, and Andrew P. Negri
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Embryology ,Hot Temperature ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Coral ,ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences ,lcsh:Medicine ,Stylophora pistillata ,01 natural sciences ,Nutrient ,Larvae ,Water Quality ,lcsh:Science ,Multidisciplinary ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,biology ,Ecology ,Coral Reefs ,Physics ,Cumulative effects ,Classical Mechanics ,Coral reef ,Anthozoa ,Corals ,Physical Sciences ,Mechanical Stress ,Embryo Development ,Research Article ,Marine Biology ,Sea Water ,Juvenile ,Animals ,Acropora tenuis ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,geography ,Life Cycle Stages ,Metamorphosis ,ved/biology ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Embryos ,fungi ,lcsh:R ,Biology and Life Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,Thermal Stresses ,Fertilization ,Earth Sciences ,Reefs ,lcsh:Q ,Hydrology ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Inshore coral reefs are experiencing the combined pressures of excess nutrient availability associated with coastal activities and warming seawater temperatures. Both pressures are known to have detrimental effects on the early life history stages of hard corals, but studies of their combined effects on early demographic stages are lacking. We conducted a series of experiments to test the combined effects of nutrient enrichment (three levels) and elevated seawater temperature (up to five levels) on early life history stages of the inshore coral Acropora tenuis, a common species in the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea. Gamete fertilization, larval survivorship and larval settlement were all significantly reduced as temperature increased, but only fertilization was further affected by simultaneous nutrient enrichment. Combined high temperatures and nutrient enrichment affected fertilization in an additive manner, whereas embryo abnormalities increased synergistically. Higher than normal temperatures (32°C) increased coral juvenile growth rates 1.6-fold, but mortality also increased by 50%. The co-occurrence of nutrient enrichment with high temperatures reduced juvenile mortality to 36%, ameliorating temperature stress (antagonistic interaction). Overall, the types of effect (additive vs synergistic or antagonistic) and their magnitude varied among life stages. Gamete and embryo stages were more affected by temperature stress and, in some cases, also by nutrient enrichment than juveniles. The data suggest that coastal runoff events might exacerbate the impacts of warming temperatures on fertilization if these events co-occur during corals spawning. The cumulative impacts of simultaneous exposure to nutrient enrichment and elevated temperatures over all early life history stages increases the likelihood for failure of larval supply and recruitment for this coral species. Our results suggest that improving the water quality of river discharges into coastal areas might help to enhance the thermal tolerances of early life history stages in this common coral species.
- Published
- 2016
4. Sediment and Turbidity Associated with Offshore Dredging Increase Coral Disease Prevalence on Nearby Reefs
- Author
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F. Joseph Pollock, Joleah B. Lamb, Stuart N. Field, Scott F. Heron, Britta Schaffelke, George Shedrawi, David G. Bourne, and Bette L. Willis
- Subjects
Analysis of Variance ,Geologic Sediments ,Multidisciplinary ,Time Factors ,Coral Reefs ,lcsh:R ,Correction ,lcsh:Medicine ,Western Australia ,Anthozoa ,Models, Biological ,Animals ,Regression Analysis ,Water Pollutants ,lcsh:Q ,lcsh:Science ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
In recent decades, coral reef ecosystems have declined to the extent that reefs are now threatened globally. While many water quality parameters have been proposed to contribute to reef declines, little evidence exists conclusively linking specific water quality parameters with increased disease prevalence in situ. Here we report evidence from in situ coral health surveys confirming that chronic exposure to dredging-associated sediment plumes significantly increase the prevalence of white syndromes, a devastating group of globally important coral diseases. Coral health surveys were conducted along a dredging-associated sediment plume gradient to assess the relationship between sedimentation, turbidity and coral health. Reefs exposed to the highest number of days under the sediment plume (296 to 347 days) had two-fold higher levels of disease, largely driven by a 2.5-fold increase in white syndromes, and a six-fold increase in other signs of compromised coral health relative to reefs with little or no plume exposure (0 to 9 days). Multivariate modeling and ordination incorporating sediment exposure level, coral community composition and cover, predation and multiple thermal stress indices provided further confirmation that sediment plume exposure level was the main driver of elevated disease and other compromised coral health indicators. This study provides the first evidence linking dredging-associated sedimentation and turbidity with elevated coral disease prevalence in situ. Our results may help to explain observed increases in global coral disease prevalence in recent decades and suggest that minimizing sedimentation and turbidity associated with coastal development will provide an important management tool for controlling coral disease epizootics.
- Published
- 2016
5. Deep-sequencing method for quantifying background abundances of symbiodinium types: exploring the rare symbiodinium biosphere in reef-building corals
- Author
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Line K. Bay, Kate M. Quigley, Bette L. Willis, Sarah W. Davies, Carly D. Kenkel, and Mikhail V. Matz
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Coral ,Montastraea annularis ,lcsh:Medicine ,01 natural sciences ,Symbiodinium ,Limit of Detection ,Molecular Systematics ,lcsh:Science ,0303 health sciences ,education.field_of_study ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Ecology ,Coral Reefs ,Marine Ecology ,High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ,Anthozoa ,Community Ecology ,Corals ,Dinoflagellida ,Research Article ,Palau ,Population ,Marine Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,Microbiology ,DNA sequencing ,Deep sequencing ,Microbial Ecology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Animals ,Evolutionary Systematics ,14. Life underwater ,education ,Symbiosis ,Ecosystem ,030304 developmental biology ,Genetic diversity ,Evolutionary Biology ,Base Sequence ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,lcsh:R ,Dinoflagellate ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Computational Biology ,biology.organism_classification ,Species Interactions ,Haplotypes ,lcsh:Q - Abstract
The capacity of reef-building corals to associate with environmentally-appropriate types of endosymbionts from the dinoflagellate genus Symbiodinium contributes significantly to their success at local scales. Additionally, some corals are able to acclimatize to environmental perturbations by shuffling the relative proportions of different Symbiodinium types hosted. Understanding the dynamics of these symbioses requires a sensitive and quantitative method of Symbiodinium genotyping. Electrophoresis methods, still widely utilized for this purpose, are predominantly qualitative and cannot guarantee detection of a background type below 10% of the total Symbiodinium population. Here, the relative abundances of four Symbiodinium types (A13, C1, C3, and D1) in mixed samples of known composition were quantified using deep sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer of the ribosomal RNA gene (ITS-2) by means of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) using Roche 454. In samples dominated by each of the four Symbiodinium types tested, background levels of the other three types were detected when present at 5%, 1%, and 0.1% levels, and their relative abundances were quantified with high (A13, C1, D1) to variable (C3) accuracy. The potential of this deep sequencing method for resolving fine-scale genetic diversity within a symbiont type was further demonstrated in a natural symbiosis using ITS-1, and uncovered reef-specific differences in the composition of Symbiodinium microadriaticum in two species of acroporid corals (Acropora digitifera and A. hyacinthus) from Palau. The ability of deep sequencing of the ITS locus (1 and 2) to detect and quantify low-abundant Symbiodinium types, as well as finer-scale diversity below the type level, will enable more robust quantification of local genetic diversity in Symbiodinium populations. This method will help to elucidate the role that background types have in maximizing coral fitness across diverse environments and in response to environmental change.
- Published
- 2014
6. Seasonal Rainfall and Runoff Promote Coral Disease on an Inshore Reef
- Author
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Jessica Haapkylä, Mike Flavell, Richard K. F. Unsworth, Britta Schaffelke, Bette L. Willis, and David G. Bourne
- Subjects
geography ,Multidisciplinary ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,biology ,Ecology ,Science ,Coral ,lcsh:R ,Correction ,lcsh:Medicine ,biology.organism_classification ,Seagrass ,Medicine ,lcsh:Q ,lcsh:Science ,Surface runoff ,Reef - Abstract
References 60 and 71 contained errors. The correct references are: "60. Rasheed MA, Unsworth RKF (2011) Long-term climate associated dynamics of a tropical seagrass meadow: implications for the future. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 422: 93-103" and "71. Unsworth RKF, Cullen LC (2010) Recognising the necessity for Indo-Pacific seagrass conservation. Conservation Letters 3: 63-73"
- Published
- 2011
7. Corals use similar immune cells and wound-healing processes as those of higher organisms
- Author
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Nikki Traylor-Knowles, John C. Bythell, Caroline Palmer, and Bette L. Willis
- Subjects
Cell ,lcsh:Medicine ,Cell Count ,Biochemistry ,Symbiodinium ,Cell Movement ,Molecular Cell Biology ,Morphogenesis ,Histochemistry ,lcsh:Science ,Immune Response ,Multidisciplinary ,Ecology ,integumentary system ,Coral Reefs ,Marine Ecology ,Degranulation ,Anatomy ,Anthozoa ,Cell biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Corals ,Cytochemistry ,medicine.symptom ,Research Article ,Histology ,Immune Cells ,Immunology ,Marine Biology ,Inflammation ,Biology ,Immune system ,medicine ,Regeneration ,Animals ,Cell Proliferation ,Melanins ,Evolutionary Biology ,Wound Healing ,Obligate ,Epidermis (botany) ,lcsh:R ,biology.organism_classification ,Immune System ,lcsh:Q ,Wound healing ,Organism Development ,Zoology ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Sessile animals, like corals, frequently suffer physical injury from a variety of sources, thus wound-healing mechanisms that restore tissue integrity and prevent infection are vitally important for defence. Despite the ecological importance of reef-building corals, little is known about the cells and processes involved in wound healing in this group or in phylogenetically basal metazoans in general. A histological investigation into wound healing of the scleractinian coral Porites cylindrica at 0 h, 6 h, 24 h and 48 h after injury revealed differences in cellular components between injured and healthy tissues. Cell counts of the obligate endosymbiont, Symbiodinium, and melanin volume fraction analysis revealed rapid declines in both Symbiodinium abundance and tissue cross-sectional area occupied by melanin-containing granular cells after injury. Four phases of wound healing were identified, which are similar to phases described for both vertebrates and invertebrates. The four phases included (i) plug formation via the degranulation of melanin-containing granular cells; (ii) immune cell infiltration (inflammation); (iii) granular tissue formation (proliferation); and (iv) maturation. This study provides detailed documentation of the processes involved in scleractinian wound healing for the first time and further elucidates the roles of previously-described immune cells, such as fibroblasts. These results demonstrate the conservation of wound healing processes from anthozoans to humans.
- Published
- 2011
8. Chimerism in wild adult populations of the broadcast spawning coral Acropora millepora on the Great Barrier Reef
- Author
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Lynne van Herwerden, Bette L. Willis, Madeleine J. H. van Oppen, and Eneour Puill-Stephan
- Subjects
Genotype ,Oceans and Seas ,Coral ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences/Genetics, Genomics, and Barcoding ,DNA Mutational Analysis ,Population ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences ,Zoology ,Population genetics ,lcsh:Medicine ,Pocillopora damicornis ,Ecology/Marine and Freshwater Ecology ,Chimerism ,Acropora millepora ,Genetics and Genomics/Population Genetics ,Animals ,education ,lcsh:Science ,Reef ,Alleles ,DNA Primers ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences/Ecology ,geography ,education.field_of_study ,Polymorphism, Genetic ,Multidisciplinary ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,biology ,Ecology ,fungi ,lcsh:R ,Australia ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,Coral reef ,biology.organism_classification ,Porifera ,Genetics, Population ,Genetic Techniques ,Genetic structure ,lcsh:Q ,Research Article ,Microsatellite Repeats - Abstract
Background: Chimeras are organisms containing tissues or cells of two or more genetically distinct individuals, and are known to exist in at least nine phyla of protists, plants, and animals. Although widespread and common in marine invertebrates, the extent of chimerism in wild populations of reef corals is unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: The extent of chimerism was explored within two populations of a common coral, Acropora millepora, on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, by using up to 12 polymorphic DNA microsatellite loci. At least 2% and 5% of Magnetic Island and Pelorus Island populations of A. millepora, respectively, were found to be chimeras (3% overall), based on conservative estimates. A slightly less conservative estimate indicated that 5% of colonies in each population were chimeras. These values are likely to be vast underestimates of the true extent of chimerism, as our sampling protocol was restricted to a maximum of eight branches per colony, while most colonies consist of hundreds of branches. Genotypes within chimeric corals showed high relatedness, indicating that genetic similarity is a prerequisite for long-term acceptance of non-self genotypes within coral colonies. Conclusions/Significance: While some brooding corals have been shown to form genetic chimeras in their early life history stages under experimental conditions, this study provides the first genetic evidence of the occurrence of coral chimeras in the wild and of chimerism in a broadcast spawning species. We hypothesize that chimerism is more widespread in corals than previously thought, and suggest that this has important implications for their resilience, potentially enhancing their capacity to compete for space and respond to stressors such as pathogen infection.
- Published
- 2009
9. Correction: The Roles and Interactions of Symbiont, Host and Environment in Defining Coral Fitness
- Author
-
Bette L. Willis, Ray Berkelmans, Madeleine J. H. van Oppen, Silvia Bleuler-Martinez, Jeanine L. Olsen, and Jos C. Mieog
- Subjects
Multidisciplinary ,Host (biology) ,Coral ,Science ,lcsh:R ,Correction ,lcsh:Medicine ,Biology ,Bioinformatics ,Evolutionary biology ,Medicine ,lcsh:Q ,lcsh:Science - Published
- 2009
10. Growth Anomalies on the Coral Genera Acropora and Porites Are Strongly Associated with Host Density and Human Population Size across the Indo-Pacific
- Author
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C. Drew Harvell, Erik C. Franklin, Bernardo Vargas-Ángel, Gareth J. Williams, Laurie J. Raymundo, Cathie A. Page, Jessica Haapkylä, Simon K. Davy, Thierry M. Work, Greta S. Aeby, Bette L. Willis, and Stephen Neale
- Subjects
Science ,Coral ,Porites ,Population Modeling ,Atoll ,Marine Biology ,Environment ,Animal Diseases ,Marine Conservation ,Anthozoa ,Prevalence ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Acropora ,Human Activities ,Indian Ocean ,Biology ,Ecosystem ,Growth Disorders ,Population Density ,geography ,Pacific Ocean ,Multidisciplinary ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Ecology ,biology ,Coral Reefs ,Population size ,fungi ,Marine Ecology ,Computational Biology ,Black band disease ,Coral reef ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Corals ,Medicine ,Infectious Disease Modeling ,Research Article - Abstract
Growth anomalies (GAs) are common, tumor-like diseases that can cause significant morbidity and decreased fecundity in the major Indo-Pacific reef-building coral genera, Acropora and Porites. GAs are unusually tractable for testing hypotheses about drivers of coral disease because of their pan-Pacific distributions, relatively high occurrence, and unambiguous ease of identification. We modeled multiple disease-environment associations that may underlie the prevalence of Acropora growth anomalies (AGA) (n = 304 surveys) and Porites growth anomalies (PGA) (n = 602 surveys) from across the Indo-Pacific. Nine predictor variables were modeled, including coral host abundance, human population size, and sea surface temperature and ultra-violet radiation anomalies. Prevalence of both AGAs and PGAs were strongly host density-dependent. PGAs additionally showed strong positive associations with human population size. Although this association has been widely posited, this is one of the first broad-scale studies unambiguously linking a coral disease with human population size. These results emphasize that individual coral diseases can show relatively distinct patterns of association with environmental predictors, even in similar diseases (growth anomalies) found on different host genera (Acropora vs. Porites). As human densities and environmental degradation increase globally, the prevalence of coral diseases like PGAs could increase accordingly, halted only perhaps by declines in host density below thresholds required for disease establishment.
- Published
- 2011
11. Summer Hot Snaps and Winter Conditions: Modelling White Syndrome Outbreaks on Great Barrier Reef Corals
- Author
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Cathie A. Page, C. Mark Eakin, Bette L. Willis, Ian Miller, Scott F. Heron, and William J. Skirving
- Subjects
Risk ,Ecology/Global Change Ecology ,Hot Temperature ,Coral ,lcsh:Medicine ,Biology ,Ecology/Marine and Freshwater Ecology ,Disease Outbreaks ,Abundance (ecology) ,Anthozoa ,Animals ,lcsh:Science ,Marine and Aquatic Sciences/Ecology ,geography ,Multidisciplinary ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Ecology ,lcsh:R ,Decision Trees ,fungi ,Australia ,Outbreak ,Coral reef ,Models, Theoretical ,biology.organism_classification ,Great barrier reef ,Cold Temperature ,Summer season ,Disease risk ,lcsh:Q ,Seasons ,Algorithms ,Research Article - Abstract
Coral reefs are under increasing pressure in a changing climate, one such threat being more frequent and destructive outbreaks of coral diseases. Thermal stress from rising temperatures has been implicated as a causal factor in disease outbreaks observed on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and elsewhere in the world. Here, we examine seasonal effects of satellite-derived temperature on the abundance of coral diseases known as white syndromes on the Great Barrier Reef, considering both warm stress during summer and deviations from mean temperatures during the preceding winter. We found a high correlation (r2 = 0.953) between summer warm thermal anomalies (Hot Snap) and disease abundance during outbreak events. Inclusion of thermal conditions during the preceding winter revealed that a significant reduction in disease outbreaks occurred following especially cold winters (Cold Snap), potentially related to a reduction in pathogen loading. Furthermore, mild winters (i.e., neither excessively cool nor warm) frequently preceded disease outbreaks. In contrast, disease outbreaks did not typically occur following warm winters, potentially because of increased disease resistance of the coral host. Understanding the balance between the effects of warm and cold winters on disease outbreak will be important in a warming climate. Combining the influence of winter and summer thermal effects resulted in an algorithm that yields both a Seasonal Outlook of disease risk at the conclusion of winter and near real-time monitoring of Outbreak Risk during summer. This satellite-derived system can provide coral reef managers with an assessment of risk three-to-six months in advance of the summer season that can then be refined using near-real-time summer observations. This system can enhance the capacity of managers to prepare for and respond to possible disease outbreaks and focus research efforts to increase understanding of environmental impacts on coral disease in this era of rapidly changing climate.
- Published
- 2010
12. Some Rare Indo-Pacific Coral Species Are Probable Hybrids
- Author
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Madeleine J. H. van Oppen, Bette L. Willis, Carden C. Wallace, David J. Miller, and Zoe T. Richards
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Oceans and Seas ,Coral ,Population ,lcsh:Medicine ,Introgression ,Molecular Biology/Molecular Evolution ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Effective population size ,Anthozoa ,Ecology/Evolutionary Ecology ,Animals ,Acropora ,natural sciences ,Cloning, Molecular ,lcsh:Science ,education ,Alleles ,Phylogeny ,geography ,education.field_of_study ,Multidisciplinary ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Extinction ,Evolutionary Biology/Evolutionary and Comparative Genetics ,Models, Genetic ,biology ,Ecology ,lcsh:R ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,Genetic Variation ,Correction ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,social sciences ,Coral reef ,biology.organism_classification ,Introns ,Genetics, Population ,Haplotypes ,population characteristics ,lcsh:Q ,geographic locations ,Research Article - Abstract
Background: coral reefs worldwide face a variety of threats and many coral species are increasingly endangered. It is often assumed that rare coral species face higher risks of extinction because they have very small effective population sizes, a predicted consequence of which is decreased genetic diversity and adaptive potential. Methodology/Principal Findings: here we show that some Indo-Pacific members of the coral genus Acropora have very small global population sizes and are likely to be unidirectional hybrids. Whether this reflects hybrid origins or secondary hybridization following speciation is unclear. Conclusions/Significance: the interspecific gene flow demonstrated here implies increased genetic diversity and adaptive potential in these coral species. Rare Acropora species may therefore be less vulnerable to extinction than has often been assumed because of their propensity for hybridization and introgression, which may increase their adaptive potential.
- Published
- 2008
13. Correction: Some Rare Indo-Pacific Coral Species Are Probable Hybrids.
- Author
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Zoe T Richards, Madeleine J H van Oppen, Carden C Wallace, Bette L Willis, and David J Miller
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003240.].
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. Cumulative Effects of Nutrient Enrichment and Elevated Temperature Compromise the Early Life History Stages of the Coral Acropora tenuis.
- Author
-
Adriana Humanes, Sam H C Noonan, Bette L Willis, Katharina E Fabricius, and Andrew P Negri
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Inshore coral reefs are experiencing the combined pressures of excess nutrient availability associated with coastal activities and warming seawater temperatures. Both pressures are known to have detrimental effects on the early life history stages of hard corals, but studies of their combined effects on early demographic stages are lacking. We conducted a series of experiments to test the combined effects of nutrient enrichment (three levels) and elevated seawater temperature (up to five levels) on early life history stages of the inshore coral Acropora tenuis, a common species in the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea. Gamete fertilization, larval survivorship and larval settlement were all significantly reduced as temperature increased, but only fertilization was further affected by simultaneous nutrient enrichment. Combined high temperatures and nutrient enrichment affected fertilization in an additive manner, whereas embryo abnormalities increased synergistically. Higher than normal temperatures (32°C) increased coral juvenile growth rates 1.6-fold, but mortality also increased by 50%. The co-occurrence of nutrient enrichment with high temperatures reduced juvenile mortality to 36%, ameliorating temperature stress (antagonistic interaction). Overall, the types of effect (additive vs synergistic or antagonistic) and their magnitude varied among life stages. Gamete and embryo stages were more affected by temperature stress and, in some cases, also by nutrient enrichment than juveniles. The data suggest that coastal runoff events might exacerbate the impacts of warming temperatures on fertilization if these events co-occur during corals spawning. The cumulative impacts of simultaneous exposure to nutrient enrichment and elevated temperatures over all early life history stages increases the likelihood for failure of larval supply and recruitment for this coral species. Our results suggest that improving the water quality of river discharges into coastal areas might help to enhance the thermal tolerances of early life history stages in this common coral species.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
15. Correction: Sediment and Turbidity Associated with Offshore Dredging Increase Coral Disease Prevalence on Nearby Reefs.
- Author
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F Joseph Pollock, Joleah B Lamb, Stuart N Field, Scott F Heron, Britta Schaffelke, George Shedrawi, David G Bourne, and Bette L Willis
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102498.].
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
16. Deep-sequencing method for quantifying background abundances of symbiodinium types: exploring the rare symbiodinium biosphere in reef-building corals.
- Author
-
Kate M Quigley, Sarah W Davies, Carly D Kenkel, Bette L Willis, Mikhail V Matz, and Line K Bay
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
The capacity of reef-building corals to associate with environmentally-appropriate types of endosymbionts from the dinoflagellate genus Symbiodinium contributes significantly to their success at local scales. Additionally, some corals are able to acclimatize to environmental perturbations by shuffling the relative proportions of different Symbiodinium types hosted. Understanding the dynamics of these symbioses requires a sensitive and quantitative method of Symbiodinium genotyping. Electrophoresis methods, still widely utilized for this purpose, are predominantly qualitative and cannot guarantee detection of a background type below 10% of the total Symbiodinium population. Here, the relative abundances of four Symbiodinium types (A13, C1, C3, and D1) in mixed samples of known composition were quantified using deep sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer of the ribosomal RNA gene (ITS-2) by means of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) using Roche 454. In samples dominated by each of the four Symbiodinium types tested, background levels of the other three types were detected when present at 5%, 1%, and 0.1% levels, and their relative abundances were quantified with high (A13, C1, D1) to variable (C3) accuracy. The potential of this deep sequencing method for resolving fine-scale genetic diversity within a symbiont type was further demonstrated in a natural symbiosis using ITS-1, and uncovered reef-specific differences in the composition of Symbiodinium microadriaticum in two species of acroporid corals (Acropora digitifera and A. hyacinthus) from Palau. The ability of deep sequencing of the ITS locus (1 and 2) to detect and quantify low-abundant Symbiodinium types, as well as finer-scale diversity below the type level, will enable more robust quantification of local genetic diversity in Symbiodinium populations. This method will help to elucidate the role that background types have in maximizing coral fitness across diverse environments and in response to environmental change.
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
17. Sediment and turbidity associated with offshore dredging increase coral disease prevalence on nearby reefs.
- Author
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F Joseph Pollock, Joleah B Lamb, Stuart N Field, Scott F Heron, Britta Schaffelke, George Shedrawi, David G Bourne, and Bette L Willis
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
In recent decades, coral reef ecosystems have declined to the extent that reefs are now threatened globally. While many water quality parameters have been proposed to contribute to reef declines, little evidence exists conclusively linking specific water quality parameters with increased disease prevalence in situ. Here we report evidence from in situ coral health surveys confirming that chronic exposure to dredging-associated sediment plumes significantly increase the prevalence of white syndromes, a devastating group of globally important coral diseases. Coral health surveys were conducted along a dredging-associated sediment plume gradient to assess the relationship between sedimentation, turbidity and coral health. Reefs exposed to the highest number of days under the sediment plume (296 to 347 days) had two-fold higher levels of disease, largely driven by a 2.5-fold increase in white syndromes, and a six-fold increase in other signs of compromised coral health relative to reefs with little or no plume exposure (0 to 9 days). Multivariate modeling and ordination incorporating sediment exposure level, coral community composition and cover, predation and multiple thermal stress indices provided further confirmation that sediment plume exposure level was the main driver of elevated disease and other compromised coral health indicators. This study provides the first evidence linking dredging-associated sedimentation and turbidity with elevated coral disease prevalence in situ. Our results may help to explain observed increases in global coral disease prevalence in recent decades and suggest that minimizing sedimentation and turbidity associated with coastal development will provide an important management tool for controlling coral disease epizootics.
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
18. The importance of coral larval recruitment for the recovery of reefs impacted by cyclone Yasi in the central Great Barrier Reef.
- Author
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Vimoksalehi Lukoschek, Peter Cross, Gergely Torda, Rachel Zimmerman, and Bette L Willis
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Cyclone Yasi, one of the most severe tropical storms on record, crossed the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in February 2011, bringing wind speeds of up to 285 km hr⁻¹ and wave heights of at least 10 m, and causing massive destruction to exposed reefs in the Palm Island Group. Following the cyclone, mean (± S.E.) hard coral cover ranged from just 2.1 (0.2) % to 5.3 (0.4) % on exposed reefs and no reproductively mature colonies of any species of Acropora remained. Although no fragments of Acropora were found at impacted exposed sites following the cyclone, small juvenile colonies of Acropora (
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
19. Impact of light and temperature on the uptake of algal symbionts by coral juveniles.
- Author
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David Abrego, Bette L Willis, and Madeleine J H van Oppen
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
The effects of temperature and light on the breakdown of the coral-Symbiodinium symbiosis are well documented but current understanding of their roles during initial uptake and establishment of symbiosis is limited. In this study, we investigate how temperature and light affect the uptake of the algal symbionts, ITS1 types C1 and D, by juveniles of the broadcast-spawning corals Acropora tenuis and A. millepora. Elevated temperatures had a strong negative effect on Symbiodinium uptake in both coral species, with corals at 31 °C showing as little as 8% uptake compared to 87% at 28 °C. Juveniles in high light treatments (390 µmol photons m(-2) s(-1)) had lower cell counts across all temperatures, emphasizing the importance of the light environment during the initial uptake phase. The proportions of the two Symbiodinium types taken up, as quantified by a real time PCR assay using clade C- and D-specific primers, were also influenced by temperature, although variation in uptake dynamics between the two coral species indicates a host effect. At 28 °C, A. tenuis juveniles were dominated by C1 Symbiodinium, and while the number of D Symbiodinium cells increased at 31 °C, they never exceeded the number of C1 cells. In contrast, juveniles of A. millepora had approximately equal numbers of C1 and D cells at 28 °C, but were dominated by D at 30 °C and 31 °C. This study highlights the significant role that environmental factors play in the establishment of coral-Symbiodinium symbiosis and provides insights into how potentially competing Symbiodinium types take up residence in coral juveniles.
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. Expression of putative immune response genes during early ontogeny in the coral Acropora millepora.
- Author
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Eneour Puill-Stephan, François O Seneca, David J Miller, Madeleine J H van Oppen, and Bette L Willis
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Corals, like many other marine invertebrates, lack a mature allorecognition system in early life history stages. Indeed, in early ontogeny, when corals acquire and establish associations with various surface microbiota and dinoflagellate endosymbionts, they do not efficiently distinguish between closely and distantly related individuals from the same population. However, very little is known about the molecular components that underpin allorecognition and immunity responses or how they change through early ontogeny in corals.Patterns in the expression of four putative immune response genes (apextrin, complement C3, and two CELIII type lectin genes) were examined in juvenile colonies of Acropora millepora throughout a six-month post-settlement period using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Expression of a CELIII type lectin gene peaked in the fourth month for most of the coral juveniles sampled and was significantly higher at this time than at any other sampling time during the six months following settlement. The timing of this increase in expression levels of putative immune response genes may be linked to allorecognition maturation which occurs around this time in A. millepora. Alternatively, the increase may represent a response to immune challenges, such as would be involved in the recognition of symbionts (such as Symbiodinium spp. or bacteria) during winnowing processes as symbioses are fine-tuned.Our data, although preliminary, are consistent with the hypothesis that lectins may play an important role in the maturation of allorecognition responses in corals. The co-expression of lectins with apextrin during development of coral juveniles also raises the possibility that these proteins, which are components of innate immunity in other invertebrates, may influence the innate immune systems of corals through a common pathway or system. However, further studies investigating the expression of these genes in alloimmune-challenged corals are needed to further clarify emerging evidence of a complex innate immunity system in corals.
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- 2012
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21. The urgent need for robust coral disease diagnostics.
- Author
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F Joseph Pollock, Pamela J Morris, Bette L Willis, and David G Bourne
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Immunologic diseases. Allergy ,RC581-607 ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 - Abstract
Coral disease has emerged over recent decades as a significant threat to coral reef ecosystems, with declines in coral cover and diversity of Caribbean reefs providing an example of the potential impacts of disease at regional scales. If similar trends are to be mitigated or avoided on reefs worldwide, a deeper understanding of the factors underlying the origin and spread of coral diseases and the steps that can be taken to prevent, control, or reduce their impacts is required. In recent years, an increased focus on coral microbiology and the application of classic culture techniques and emerging molecular technologies has revealed several coral pathogens that could serve as targets for novel coral disease diagnostic tools. The ability to detect and quantify microbial agents identified as indicators of coral disease will aid in the elucidation of disease causation and facilitate coral disease detection and diagnosis, pathogen monitoring in individuals and ecosystems, and identification of pathogen sources, vectors, and reservoirs. This information will advance the field of coral disease research and contribute knowledge necessary for effective coral reef management. This paper establishes the need for sensitive and specific molecular-based coral pathogen detection, outlines the emerging technologies that could serve as the basis of a new generation of coral disease diagnostic assays, and addresses the unique challenges inherent to the application of these techniques to environmentally derived coral samples.
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- 2011
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22. Growth anomalies on the coral genera Acropora and Porites are strongly associated with host density and human population size across the Indo-Pacific.
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Greta S Aeby, Gareth J Williams, Erik C Franklin, Jessica Haapkyla, C Drew Harvell, Stephen Neale, Cathie A Page, Laurie Raymundo, Bernardo Vargas-Ángel, Bette L Willis, Thierry M Work, and Simon K Davy
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Growth anomalies (GAs) are common, tumor-like diseases that can cause significant morbidity and decreased fecundity in the major Indo-Pacific reef-building coral genera, Acropora and Porites. GAs are unusually tractable for testing hypotheses about drivers of coral disease because of their pan-Pacific distributions, relatively high occurrence, and unambiguous ease of identification. We modeled multiple disease-environment associations that may underlie the prevalence of Acropora growth anomalies (AGA) (n = 304 surveys) and Porites growth anomalies (PGA) (n = 602 surveys) from across the Indo-Pacific. Nine predictor variables were modeled, including coral host abundance, human population size, and sea surface temperature and ultra-violet radiation anomalies. Prevalence of both AGAs and PGAs were strongly host density-dependent. PGAs additionally showed strong positive associations with human population size. Although this association has been widely posited, this is one of the first broad-scale studies unambiguously linking a coral disease with human population size. These results emphasize that individual coral diseases can show relatively distinct patterns of association with environmental predictors, even in similar diseases (growth anomalies) found on different host genera (Acropora vs. Porites). As human densities and environmental degradation increase globally, the prevalence of coral diseases like PGAs could increase accordingly, halted only perhaps by declines in host density below thresholds required for disease establishment.
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- 2011
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23. Corals use similar immune cells and wound-healing processes as those of higher organisms.
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Caroline V Palmer, Nikki G Traylor-Knowles, Bette L Willis, and John C Bythell
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Sessile animals, like corals, frequently suffer physical injury from a variety of sources, thus wound-healing mechanisms that restore tissue integrity and prevent infection are vitally important for defence. Despite the ecological importance of reef-building corals, little is known about the cells and processes involved in wound healing in this group or in phylogenetically basal metazoans in general. A histological investigation into wound healing of the scleractinian coral Porites cylindrica at 0 h, 6 h, 24 h and 48 h after injury revealed differences in cellular components between injured and healthy tissues. Cell counts of the obligate endosymbiont, Symbiodinium, and melanin volume fraction analysis revealed rapid declines in both Symbiodinium abundance and tissue cross-sectional area occupied by melanin-containing granular cells after injury. Four phases of wound healing were identified, which are similar to phases described for both vertebrates and invertebrates. The four phases included (i) plug formation via the degranulation of melanin-containing granular cells; (ii) immune cell infiltration (inflammation); (iii) granular tissue formation (proliferation); and (iv) maturation. This study provides detailed documentation of the processes involved in scleractinian wound healing for the first time and further elucidates the roles of previously-described immune cells, such as fibroblasts. These results demonstrate the conservation of wound healing processes from anthozoans to humans.
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- 2011
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24. Summer hot snaps and winter conditions: modelling white syndrome outbreaks on Great Barrier Reef corals.
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Scott F Heron, Bette L Willis, William J Skirving, C Mark Eakin, Cathie A Page, and Ian R Miller
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Coral reefs are under increasing pressure in a changing climate, one such threat being more frequent and destructive outbreaks of coral diseases. Thermal stress from rising temperatures has been implicated as a causal factor in disease outbreaks observed on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and elsewhere in the world. Here, we examine seasonal effects of satellite-derived temperature on the abundance of coral diseases known as white syndromes on the Great Barrier Reef, considering both warm stress during summer and deviations from mean temperatures during the preceding winter. We found a high correlation (r(2) = 0.953) between summer warm thermal anomalies (Hot Snap) and disease abundance during outbreak events. Inclusion of thermal conditions during the preceding winter revealed that a significant reduction in disease outbreaks occurred following especially cold winters (Cold Snap), potentially related to a reduction in pathogen loading. Furthermore, mild winters (i.e., neither excessively cool nor warm) frequently preceded disease outbreaks. In contrast, disease outbreaks did not typically occur following warm winters, potentially because of increased disease resistance of the coral host. Understanding the balance between the effects of warm and cold winters on disease outbreak will be important in a warming climate. Combining the influence of winter and summer thermal effects resulted in an algorithm that yields both a Seasonal Outlook of disease risk at the conclusion of winter and near real-time monitoring of Outbreak Risk during summer. This satellite-derived system can provide coral reef managers with an assessment of risk three-to-six months in advance of the summer season that can then be refined using near-real-time summer observations. This system can enhance the capacity of managers to prepare for and respond to possible disease outbreaks and focus research efforts to increase understanding of environmental impacts on coral disease in this era of rapidly changing climate.
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- 2010
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25. Chimerism in wild adult populations of the broadcast spawning coral Acropora millepora on the Great Barrier Reef.
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Eneour Puill-Stephan, Bette L Willis, Lynne van Herwerden, and Madeleine J H van Oppen
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Chimeras are organisms containing tissues or cells of two or more genetically distinct individuals, and are known to exist in at least nine phyla of protists, plants, and animals. Although widespread and common in marine invertebrates, the extent of chimerism in wild populations of reef corals is unknown.The extent of chimerism was explored within two populations of a common coral, Acropora millepora, on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, by using up to 12 polymorphic DNA microsatellite loci. At least 2% and 5% of Magnetic Island and Pelorus Island populations of A. millepora, respectively, were found to be chimeras (3% overall), based on conservative estimates. A slightly less conservative estimate indicated that 5% of colonies in each population were chimeras. These values are likely to be vast underestimates of the true extent of chimerism, as our sampling protocol was restricted to a maximum of eight branches per colony, while most colonies consist of hundreds of branches. Genotypes within chimeric corals showed high relatedness, indicating that genetic similarity is a prerequisite for long-term acceptance of non-self genotypes within coral colonies.While some brooding corals have been shown to form genetic chimeras in their early life history stages under experimental conditions, this study provides the first genetic evidence of the occurrence of coral chimeras in the wild and of chimerism in a broadcast spawning species. We hypothesize that chimerism is more widespread in corals than previously thought, and suggest that this has important implications for their resilience, potentially enhancing their capacity to compete for space and respond to stressors such as pathogen infection.
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- 2009
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26. Vibrio zinc-metalloprotease causes photoinactivation of coral endosymbionts and coral tissue lesions.
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Meir Sussman, Jos C Mieog, Jason Doyle, Steven Victor, Bette L Willis, and David G Bourne
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
BackgroundCoral diseases are emerging as a serious threat to coral reefs worldwide. Of nine coral infectious diseases, whose pathogens have been characterized, six are caused by agents from the family Vibrionacae, raising questions as to their origin and role in coral disease aetiology.Methodology/principal findingsHere we report on a Vibrio zinc-metalloprotease causing rapid photoinactivation of susceptible Symbiodinium endosymbionts followed by lesions in coral tissue. Symbiodinium photosystem II inactivation was diagnosed by an imaging pulse amplitude modulation fluorometer in two bioassays, performed by exposing Symbiodinium cells and coral juveniles to non-inhibited and EDTA-inhibited supernatants derived from coral white syndrome pathogens.Conclusion/significanceThese findings demonstrate a common virulence factor from four phylogenetically related coral pathogens, suggesting that zinc-metalloproteases may play an important role in Vibrio pathogenicity in scleractinian corals.
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- 2009
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27. The roles and interactions of symbiont, host and environment in defining coral fitness.
- Author
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Jos C Mieog, Jeanine L Olsen, Ray Berkelmans, Silvia A Bleuler-Martinez, Bette L Willis, and Madeleine J H van Oppen
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
BACKGROUND: Reef-building corals live in symbiosis with a diverse range of dinoflagellate algae (genus Symbiodinium) that differentially influence the fitness of the coral holobiont. The comparative role of symbiont type in holobiont fitness in relation to host genotype or the environment, however, is largely unknown. We addressed this knowledge gap by manipulating host-symbiont combinations and comparing growth, survival and thermal tolerance among the resultant holobionts in different environments. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Offspring of the coral, Acropora millepora, from two thermally contrasting locations, were experimentally infected with one of six Symbiodinium types, which spanned three phylogenetic clades (A, C and D), and then outplanted to the two parental field locations (central and southern inshore Great Barrier Reef, Australia). Growth and survival of juvenile corals were monitored for 31-35 weeks, after which their thermo-tolerance was experimentally assessed. Our results showed that: (1) Symbiodinium type was the most important predictor of holobiont fitness, as measured by growth, survival, and thermo-tolerance; (2) growth and survival, but not heat-tolerance, were also affected by local environmental conditions; and (3) host population had little to no effect on holobiont fitness. Furthermore, coral-algal associations were established with symbiont types belonging to clades A, C and D, but three out of four symbiont types belonging to clade C failed to establish a symbiosis. Associations with clade A had the lowest fitness and were unstable in the field. Lastly, Symbiodinium types C1 and D were found to be relatively thermo-tolerant, with type D conferring the highest tolerance in A. millepora. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results highlight the complex interactions that occur between the coral host, the algal symbiont, and the environment to shape the fitness of the coral holobiont. An improved understanding of the factors affecting coral holobiont fitness will assist in predicting the responses of corals to global climate change.
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- 2009
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28. Some rare Indo-Pacific coral species are probable hybrids.
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Zoe T Richards, Madeleine J H van Oppen, Carden C Wallace, Bette L Willis, and David J Miller
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
BACKGROUND:Coral reefs worldwide face a variety of threats and many coral species are increasingly endangered. It is often assumed that rare coral species face higher risks of extinction because they have very small effective population sizes, a predicted consequence of which is decreased genetic diversity and adaptive potential. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Here we show that some Indo-Pacific members of the coral genus Acropora have very small global population sizes and are likely to be unidirectional hybrids. Whether this reflects hybrid origins or secondary hybridization following speciation is unclear. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:The interspecific gene flow demonstrated here implies increased genetic diversity and adaptive potential in these coral species. Rare Acropora species may therefore be less vulnerable to extinction than has often been assumed because of their propensity for hybridization and introgression, which may increase their adaptive potential.
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- 2008
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29. Coral pathogens identified for White Syndrome (WS) epizootics in the Indo-Pacific.
- Author
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Meir Sussman, Bette L Willis, Steven Victor, and David G Bourne
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
BackgroundWhite Syndrome (WS), a general term for scleractinian coral diseases with acute signs of advancing tissue lesions often resulting in total colony mortality, has been reported from numerous locations throughout the Indo-Pacific, constituting a growing threat to coral reef ecosystems.Methodology/principal findingsBacterial isolates were obtained from corals displaying disease signs at three ws outbreak sites: Nikko Bay in the Republic of Palau, Nelly Bay in the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and Majuro Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and used in laboratory-based infection trials to satisfy Henle-Koch's postulates, Evan's rules and Hill's criteria for establishing causality. Infected colonies produced similar signs to those observed in the field following exposure to bacterial concentrations of 1x10(6) cells ml(-1). Phylogenetic 16S rRNA gene analysis demonstrated that all six pathogens identified in this study were members of the gamma-Proteobacteria family Vibrionacae, each with greater than 98% sequence identity with the previously characterized coral bleaching pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus. Screening for proteolytic activity of more than 150 coral derived bacterial isolates by a biochemical assay and specific primers for a Vibrio family zinc-metalloprotease demonstrated a significant association between the presence of isolates capable of proteolytic activity and observed disease signs.Conclusion/significanceThis is the first study to provide evidence for the involvement of a unique taxonomic group of bacterial pathogens in the aetiology of Indo-Pacific coral diseases affecting multiple coral species at multiple locations. Results from this study strongly suggest the need for further investigation of bacterial proteolytic enzymes as possible virulence factors involved in Vibrio associated acute coral infections.
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- 2008
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30. Microbial ecology of four coral atolls in the Northern Line Islands.
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Elizabeth A Dinsdale, Olga Pantos, Steven Smriga, Robert A Edwards, Florent Angly, Linda Wegley, Mark Hatay, Dana Hall, Elysa Brown, Matthew Haynes, Lutz Krause, Enric Sala, Stuart A Sandin, Rebecca Vega Thurber, Bette L Willis, Farooq Azam, Nancy Knowlton, and Forest Rohwer
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Microbes are key players in both healthy and degraded coral reefs. A combination of metagenomics, microscopy, culturing, and water chemistry were used to characterize microbial communities on four coral atolls in the Northern Line Islands, central Pacific. Kingman, a small uninhabited atoll which lies most northerly in the chain, had microbial and water chemistry characteristic of an open ocean ecosystem. On this atoll the microbial community was equally divided between autotrophs (mostly Prochlorococcus spp.) and heterotrophs. In contrast, Kiritimati, a large and populated ( approximately 5500 people) atoll, which is most southerly in the chain, had microbial and water chemistry characteristic of a near-shore environment. On Kiritimati, there were 10 times more microbial cells and virus-like particles in the water column and these microbes were dominated by heterotrophs, including a large percentage of potential pathogens. Culturable Vibrios were common only on Kiritimati. The benthic community on Kiritimati had the highest prevalence of coral disease and lowest coral cover. The middle atolls, Palmyra and Tabuaeran, had intermediate densities of microbes and viruses and higher percentages of autotrophic microbes than either Kingman or Kiritimati. The differences in microbial communities across atolls could reflect variation in 1) oceaonographic and/or hydrographic conditions or 2) human impacts associated with land-use and fishing. The fact that historically Kingman and Kiritimati did not differ strongly in their fish or benthic communities (both had large numbers of sharks and high coral cover) suggest an anthropogenic component in the differences in the microbial communities. Kingman is one of the world's most pristine coral reefs, and this dataset should serve as a baseline for future studies of coral reef microbes. Obtaining the microbial data set, from atolls is particularly important given the association of microbes in the ongoing degradation of coral reef ecosystems worldwide.
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- 2008
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31. Thermal stress and coral cover as drivers of coral disease outbreaks.
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John F Bruno, Elizabeth R Selig, Kenneth S Casey, Cathie A Page, Bette L Willis, C Drew Harvell, Hugh Sweatman, and Amy M Melendy
- Subjects
Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 - Abstract
Very little is known about how environmental changes such as increasing temperature affect disease dynamics in the ocean, especially at large spatial scales. We asked whether the frequency of warm temperature anomalies is positively related to the frequency of coral disease across 1,500 km of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. We used a new high-resolution satellite dataset of ocean temperature and 6 y of coral disease and coral cover data from annual surveys of 48 reefs to answer this question. We found a highly significant relationship between the frequencies of warm temperature anomalies and of white syndrome, an emergent disease, or potentially, a group of diseases, of Pacific reef-building corals. The effect of temperature was highly dependent on coral cover because white syndrome outbreaks followed warm years, but only on high (>50%) cover reefs, suggesting an important role of host density as a threshold for outbreaks. Our results indicate that the frequency of temperature anomalies, which is predicted to increase in most tropical oceans, can increase the susceptibility of corals to disease, leading to outbreaks where corals are abundant.
- Published
- 2007
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