Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3333
Title: Coral disease dynamics at a subtropical location, Solitary Islands Marine Park, eastern Australia
Contributor(s): Dalton, Steve James  (author)orcid ; Smith, Stephen D (author)
Publication Date: 2006
DOI: 10.1007/s00338-005-0039-8
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3333
Abstract: Recent observations suggest that a spreading disease is increasingly contributing to hard coral mortality in the Solitary Islands Marine Park, NSW, Australia. This study determined coral disease prevalence and rate-of-spread through individual affected colonies and investigated the effect this epizootic had on coral populations at sites adjacent to South West Solitary Island. Quantitative data were collected between 2002 and 2004 using photographic and video methods, and visual census along radial arc belt transects. Disease similar to the reported white syndrome and white plague was apparent, spreading through hard coral species from the genera 'Turbinaria', 'Acropora', 'Goniastrea', 'Pocillopora', 'Stylophora' and 'Porites'. Coral disease prevalence varied between survey dates with mean prevalence increasing from 8.55% during March 2003 to 13.58% in June and declining to 7.75% in September and 6.21% during March 2004. There was a significant difference in mean prevalence between the affected species (p<0.001) and an overall difference between survey dates (p=0.001). Additionally, the rate-of-spread of coral disease through coral colonies determined using repeated, seasonal, still photographs followed similar patterns, with disease progression differing between affected species (p=0.004), and between survey dates (p<0.001). Analysis of the video-transects indicated significant difference in disease prevalence over larger spatial scales (100s of m). However, disease frequency did not vary significantly between 2002 and 2003.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Coral Reefs, 25(1), p. 37-45
Publisher: Springer
Place of Publication: Germany
ISSN: 1432-0975
0722-4028
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 060205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl Marine Ichthyology)
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 960808 Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

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