Porites white patch syndrome: associated viruses and disease physiology

In recent decades, coral reefs worldwide have undergone significant changes in response to various environmental and anthropogenic impacts. Among the numerous causes of reef degradation, coral disease is one factor that is to a large extent still poorly understood. Here, we characterize the physiolo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Coral reefs 2015-03, Vol.34 (1), p.249-257
Main Authors: Lawrence, S. A., Davy, J. E., Wilson, W. H., Hoegh-Guldberg, O., Davy, S. K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal diseases
Anthropogenic factors
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Coral reefs
Discoloration
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Lesions
Life Sciences
Marine biology
Oceanography
Physiology
Porites
Symbiodinium
Tissues
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Summary:In recent decades, coral reefs worldwide have undergone significant changes in response to various environmental and anthropogenic impacts. Among the numerous causes of reef degradation, coral disease is one factor that is to a large extent still poorly understood. Here, we characterize the physiology of white patch syndrome (WPS), a disease affecting poritid corals on the Great Barrier Reef. WPS manifests as small, generally discrete patches of tissue discolouration. Physiological analysis revealed that chlorophyll a content was significantly lower in lesions than in healthy tissues, while host protein content remained constant, suggesting that host tissue is not affected by WPS. This was confirmed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) examination, which showed intact host tissue within lesions. TEM also revealed that Symbiodinium cells are lost from the host gastrodermis with no apparent harm caused to the surrounding host tissue. Also present in the electron micrographs were numerous virus-like particles (VLPs), in both coral and Symbiodinium cells. Small (
ISSN:0722-4028
1432-0975
DOI:10.1007/s00338-014-1218-2