Over one-half
Coral
of the world's population lives
ReefTargeted Research &
within 100 kilometres
Capacity Building for Management
of the sea.
Coral Reef Targeted Research
& Capacity Building for Management
Disease Working Group
Causes, origins and impacts
of coral disease worldwide
image: Ernesto Weil
images: Ernesto Weil
image: Woolcott Henry
Goals
location (e.g. Philippines, Central Visayas, Palau, 4. Coral Resistance to Disease
Hawaii, Australia, Caribbean) we are measuring
To fill critical information gaps about coral
The microbial communities associated with
disease impact and prevalence, to cataloging
Implications for Coral
reef disease, build capacity internationally,
corals are very complex, existing both inside
existing diseases and investigating the impact of
and develop solutions for managing and
the coral animal and in the surface mucous
disease.
Reef Management
conserving reef ecosystems.
layers (SML). These normal communities,
which may be specific to their host, protect
Our program is providing the scientific
2. Global Warming &
the coral from disease. When the community
Coral diseases potentially impact both
background to formulate recommendations
Anthropogenic Inputs
structure changes, corals may become more
well-managed and unmanaged reefs
to assist managers and developers of
An increase in disease following warming
susceptible to disease. Both bleaching and
indiscriminately. However, strategies for
environmental policy. For instance, correlations events may be because corals are less able to
disease appear to change the microbial
dealing with disease outbreaks are currently
between water quality and disease prevalence
fight disease while under temperature stress,
community profiles in the SML. The goals of our
non-existent. The increasing frequency
are of growing concern but evidence of direct
or because bacteria are more virulent. While
immunological work are to develop assays to
with which diseases influence and alter reef
links and synergistic effects are limited.
correlations between poor water quality
determine general antimicrobial activity. Once
communities necessitates their consideration
(nutrient loading and sedimentation) and
resistance compounds are identified, they will
and incorporation in management plans.
Many MPAs are established specifically with
disease prevalence are of growing concern,
be incorporated into a chip of biomarkers for
the goal of protecting the fishery in mind, but
evidence of direct links and synergistic effects
stress. Field sampling will eventually allow us to
disease that alter a reefs ability to support
are limited.
quantify and estimate the response of corals to
a diverse fish population is of concern.
different experimental treatments of enhanced
Understanding the specific ways in which coral
We are measuring nitrogen and sediment
nutrients and temperature, and map the spatial
diseases can alter reef function will help develop loading, and using molecular and enzymatic
extent and variation of disease resistance in
predictions as to when outbreaks may occur,
techniques to assess differences in the microbial the field.
and provide stronger links and rationale for local communities in coral mucus, water and
stakeholders as to exactly why improvements in sediment between sites with different loadings
waste water treatment, solid waste disposal and and to assess changes in microbial communities
land use practices are essential.
between healthy and bleached corals. We will
evaluate climate and anthropogenic influences
Progress to Date
on changes within microbial communities.
3. The Causes, Reservoirs & Vectors
1975 1985
1. Global Impact of Coral Disease
of Coral Disease
image: Phillip Dustan, College of Charleston, SC
Coral disease stands out as a primary factor in
We lack knowledge of the pathogens causing
the deterioration of many Caribbean coral reefs. the majority of coral diseases. To date, there
At approximately 24 sites globally we are
are only 5 coral diseases for which the microbial
More information
conducting a coral disease census. The Global
cause is known: black band disease; white
Assessment is designed to catalogue disease
plague type II, aspergilliosis, white pox and
The University of Queensland is the
syndromes worldwide for the first time and
bleaching of a non-reef building coral, Oculina
Project Executing Agency (PEA). More
reveal whether disease outbreaks are correlated
information about the CRTR Program
patagonica, by a bacterium, Vibrio shilio.
with climate warming anomalies. At each
can be obtained from the PEA:
C/O Center for Marine Studies
The University of Queensland
Participants in Disease Working Group
image: Ernesto Weil
workshop, East Africa, 2005.
St Lucia QLD 4072
Australia
Telephone: +61 7 3365 4333
Outcomes
Email: info@gefcoral.org
Over the past two years our Targeted Research
· Made significant advances in epidemiology,
We have also sponsored informative regional
African scientists from Mozambique, Tanzania,
The CRTR Program is a partnership
has:
notably through molecular studies of black band workshops on coral disease and training graduate Zanzibar, Kenya, and the Seychelles participated
between the Global Environment
· Established baseline disease surveys at 3 of
disease, yellow blotch, and Aspergillosis.
and postdoctoral scholars. Our scholarship
in a 5 day workshop that included coral taxonomy,
Facility, The World Bank, The
program has supported four graduate students
coral microbiology, and coral disease survey
University of Queensland (Australia),
the 4 Centers of Excellence, with permanent
· Made substantial inroads in uncovering
and one postdoctoral fellow from the Philippines, methods.
the United States National Oceanic
transects established on the Yucatan and Great
enzymatic mechanisms of resistance to disease.
and Atmospheric Administration
Barrier Reef, Australia.
A new frontier has been opened in investigating Palau, Venezuela, and Mexico. We have run
In 2006, our Disease Working Group Chair gave
(NOAA) and approximately 40
workshops on the Microbiology of Coral Disease
· Demonstrated for the first time links between
potential for phage therapy of coral disease.
the keynote address at the 2006 US Coral Reef
research institutes and other third
in Mexico, Australia, Palau, and East Africa. In
Task Force meeting in Washington, D.C. about
parties around the world.
disease and warm temperature anomalies in
· Evaluated what management approaches will
partnership with the Living Oceans Foundation we links between climate warming and coral disease
The four sites or Centers of
Australian and Caribbean reefs.
be successful in limiting conditions that facilitate held a regional scale workshop at the Institute of
Excellence are Southeast Asia:
outbreaks.
· Preliminary evidence linking nutrients as
coral disease.
Marine Science in Zanzibar. Twenty-five East
Marine Science Institute of Bolinao,
facilitators of some disease syndromes.
University of the Philippines; East
Africa: Institute of Marine Sciences,
University of Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar,
Tanzania; Mesoamerica/Western
Caribbean: Unidad Academica
Puerto Morelos, Universidad Nacional
Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico; and
Australasia/South Pacific: Heron
Island Research Laboratory, Centre
for Marine Studies, The University of
www.gefcoral.org
Queensland, Australia.

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