scholarly journals Removal of corallivorous snails as a proactive conservation tool

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana E Williams ◽  
Margaret W Miller ◽  
Allan J Bright ◽  
Caitlin M Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Partial Mortality ◽  
Host Coral ◽  
Coralliophila Abbreviata ◽  
Term Monitoring

Corallivorous snail feeding is a common source of tissue loss for the threatened coral Acropora palmata, accounting for roughly one-quarter of tissue loss in monitored study plots over seven years. However, corallivory by Coralliophila abbreviata is one of the few major sources of partial mortality (contrasting with threats such as bleaching, disease, or storm disturbances) that may be locally managed. We conducted a field experiment to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of snail removal. Long-term monitoring plots on six reefs in the upper Florida Keys were assigned to one of three removal treatments: 1) removal from A. palmata only, 2) removal from all host coral species, or 3) no-removal controls. During the initial removal in June 2011, 639 snails were removed from twelve 150 m2 plots. Snails were removed two additional times during a seven month “removal phase”, then counted at five surveys over the next 19 months to track recolonization. At the conclusion, snails were collected, measured, and sexed. Before-After-Control-Impact analysis revealed that both snail abundance and feeding scar prevalence were reduced in removal treatments compared to the control, but there was no difference between removal treatments. Recolonization by snails to baseline abundance is estimated to be 4.3 years and did not differ between removal treatments. Recolonization rate was significantly correlated with baseline snail abundance. Maximum snail size decreased from 47.0 mm to 34.6 mm in the removal treatments. The effort required to remove snails from A. palmata was 30 diver minutes per 150 m2 plot, compared with 51 minutes to remove snails from all host corals. Since there was no additional benefit observed with removing snails from all host species, removals can be more efficiently focused on only A. palmata colonies, and in areas where C. abbreviata abundance is high, to effectively conserve A. palmata in targeted areas.

scholarly journals Removal of corallivorous snails as a proactive conservation tool

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana E Williams ◽  
Margaret W Miller ◽  
Allan J Bright ◽  
Caitlin M Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Partial Mortality ◽  
Host Coral ◽  
Coralliophila Abbreviata ◽  
Term Monitoring

Corallivorous snail feeding is a common source of tissue loss for the threatened coral Acropora palmata, accounting for roughly one-quarter of tissue loss in monitored study plots over seven years. However, corallivory by Coralliophila abbreviata is one of the few major sources of partial mortality (contrasting with threats such as bleaching, disease, or storm disturbances) that may be locally managed. We conducted a field experiment to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of snail removal. Long-term monitoring plots on six reefs in the upper Florida Keys were assigned to one of three removal treatments: 1) removal from A. palmata only, 2) removal from all host coral species, or 3) no-removal controls. During the initial removal in June 2011, 639 snails were removed from twelve 150 m2 plots. Snails were removed two additional times during a seven month “removal phase”, then counted at five surveys over the next 19 months to track recolonization. At the conclusion, snails were collected, measured, and sexed. Before-After-Control-Impact analysis revealed that both snail abundance and feeding scar prevalence were reduced in removal treatments compared to the control, but there was no difference between removal treatments. Recolonization by snails to baseline abundance is estimated to be 4.3 years and did not differ between removal treatments. Recolonization rate was significantly correlated with baseline snail abundance. Maximum snail size decreased from 47.0 mm to 34.6 mm in the removal treatments. The effort required to remove snails from A. palmata was 30 diver minutes per 150 m2 plot, compared with 51 minutes to remove snails from all host corals. Since there was no additional benefit observed with removing snails from all host species, removals can be more efficiently focused on only A. palmata colonies, and in areas where C. abbreviata abundance is high, to effectively conserve A. palmata in targeted areas.

scholarly journals Genotypic variation in disease susceptibility among cultured stocks of elkhorn and staghorn corals

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret W. Miller ◽  
Philip J. Colburn ◽  
Emma Pontes ◽  
Dana E. Williams ◽  
Allan J. Bright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Susceptibility ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Genotypic Variation ◽  
Genetic Resistance ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Primary Driver

Disease mortality has been a primary driver of population declines and the threatened status of the foundational Caribbean corals, Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis. There remain few tools to effectively manage coral disease. Substantial investment is flowing into in situ culture and population enhancement efforts, while disease takes a variable but sometimes high toll in restored populations. If genetic resistance to disease can be identified in these corals, it may be leveraged to improve resistance in restored populations and possibly lead to effective diagnostic tests and disease treatments. Using a standardized field protocol based on replicated direct-graft challenge assays, we quantified this important trait in cultured stocks from three field nurseries in the Florida Keys. Field tests of 12 genotypes of A. palmata and 31 genotypes of A. cervicornis revealed significant genotypic variation in disease susceptibility of both species measured both as risk of transmission (percent of exposed fragments that displayed tissue loss) and as the rate of tissue loss (cm2 d–1) in fragments with elicited lesions. These assay results provide a measure of relative disease resistance that can be incorporated, along with consideration of other important traits such as growth and reproductive success, into restoration strategies to yield more resilient populations.

scholarly journals Shifting white pox aetiologies affecting Acropora palmata in the Florida Keys, 1994–2014

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1689) ◽  
pp. 20150205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn P. Sutherland ◽  
Brett Berry ◽  
Andrew Park ◽  
Dustin W. Kemp ◽  
Keri M. Kemp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Disease ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Disease State ◽  
Moving Target ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Coral Diseases ◽  
Disease Aetiology ◽  
The Caribbean

We propose ‘the moving target hypothesis’ to describe the aetiology of a contemporary coral disease that differs from that of its historical disease state. Hitting the target with coral disease aetiology is a complex pursuit that requires understanding of host and environment, and may lack a single pathogen solution. White pox disease (WPX) affects the Caribbean coral Acropora palmata . Acroporid serratiosis is a form of WPX for which the bacterial pathogen ( Serratia marcescens ) has been established. We used long-term (1994–2014) photographic monitoring to evaluate historical and contemporary epizootiology and aetiology of WPX affecting A. palmata at eight reefs in the Florida Keys. Ranges of WPX prevalence over time (0–71.4%) were comparable for the duration of the 20-year study. Whole colony mortality and disease severity were high in historical (1994–2004), and low in contemporary (2008–2014), outbreaks of WPX. Acroporid serratiosis was diagnosed for some historical (1999, 2003) and contemporary (2012, 2013) outbreaks, but this form of WPX was not confirmed for all WPX cases. Our results serve as a context for considering aetiology as a moving target for WPX and other coral diseases for which pathogens are established and/or candidate pathogens are identified. Coral aetiology investigations completed to date suggest that changes in pathogen, host and/or environment alter the disease state and complicate diagnosis.

scholarly journals Abundance and Multilocus Sequence Analysis of Vibrio Bacteria Associated with Diseased Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata) of the Florida Keys

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keri M. Kemp ◽  
Jason R. Westrich ◽  
Magdy S. Alabady ◽  
Martinique L. Edwards ◽  
Erin K. Lipp
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Multilocus Sequence Analysis ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Temporal Sampling ◽  
Apparently Healthy

ABSTRACT The critically endangered elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) is affected by white pox disease (WPX) throughout the Florida Reef Tract and wider Caribbean. The bacterium Serratia marcescens was previously identified as one etiologic agent of WPX but is no longer consistently detected in contemporary outbreaks. It is now believed that multiple etiologic agents cause WPX; however, to date, no other potential pathogens have been thoroughly investigated. This study examined the association of Vibrio bacteria with WPX occurrence from August 2012 to 2014 at Looe Key Reef in the Florida Keys, USA. The concentration of cultivable Vibrio was consistently greater in WPX samples than in healthy samples. The abundance of Vibrio bacteria relative to total bacteria was four times higher in samples from WPX lesions than in adjacent apparently healthy regions of diseased corals based on quantitative PCR (qPCR). Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) was used to assess the diversity of 69 Vibrio isolates collected from diseased and apparently healthy A. palmata colonies and the surrounding seawater. Vibrio species with known pathogenicity to corals were detected in both apparently healthy and diseased samples. While the causative agent(s) of contemporary WPX outbreaks remains elusive, our results suggest that Vibrio spp. may be part of a nonspecific heterotrophic bacterial bloom rather than acting as primary pathogens. This study highlights the need for highly resolved temporal sampling in situ to further elucidate the role of Vibrio during WPX onset and progression. IMPORTANCE Coral diseases are increasing worldwide and are now considered a major contributor to coral reef decline. In particular, the Caribbean has been noted as a coral disease hot spot, owing to the dramatic loss of framework-building acroporid corals due to tissue loss diseases. The pathogenesis of contemporary white pox disease (WPX) outbreaks in Acropora palmata remains poorly understood. This study investigates the association of Vibrio bacteria with WPX.

Future Needs for Long-Term Monitoring Design

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara S. Minsker ◽  
Charles Davis ◽  
David Dougherty ◽  
Gus Williams
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring Design ◽  
Future Needs ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

Enabling Community Well-being Self-Monitoring in the Context of Mining: The Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Klinck ◽  
Ben Bradshaw ◽  
Ruby Sandy ◽  
Silas Nabinacaboo ◽  
Mannie Mameanskum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Aboriginal Community ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Community Engaged Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mineral Development ◽  
Iron Deposits ◽  
Term Monitoring

The Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach is an Aboriginal community located in northern Quebec near the Labrador Border. Given the region’s rich iron deposits, the Naskapi Nation has considerable experience with major mineral development, first in the 1950s to the 1980s, and again in the past decade as companies implement plans for further extraction. This has raised concerns regarding a range of environmental and socio-economic impacts that may be caused by renewed development. These concerns have led to an interest among the Naskapi to develop a means to track community well-being over time using indicators of their own design. Exemplifying community-engaged research, this paper describes the beginning development of such a tool in fall 2012—the creation of a baseline of community well-being against which mining-induced change can be identified. Its development owes much to the remarkable and sustained contribution of many key members of the Naskapi Nation. If on-going surveying is completed based on the chosen indicators, the Nation will be better positioned to recognize shifts in its well-being and to communicate these shifts to its partners. In addition, long-term monitoring will allow the Naskapi Nation to contribute to more universal understanding of the impacts of mining for Indigenous peoples.

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