Stony coral tissue loss disease: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Stony coral tissue loss disease 01.jpg|thumb|Brain coral affected by SCTLD.]] |
[[File:Stony coral tissue loss disease 01.jpg|thumb|Brain coral affected by SCTLD.]] |
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[[File:Elkhorn_coral.jpg|thumb|[[Elkhorn coral]] seems to be immune to SCTLD.]] |
[[File:Elkhorn_coral.jpg|thumb|[[Elkhorn coral]] seems to be immune to SCTLD.]] |
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'''Stony coral tissue loss disease''' (SCTLD) is a [[coral disease|disease of corals]] that first appeared off the southeast coast of Florida in 2014. It originally was described as [[White plague (coral disease)|white plague disease]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Precht|first=William F.|last2=Gintert|first2=Brooke E.|last3=Robbart|first3=Martha L.|last4=Fura|first4=Ryan|last5=van Woesik|first5=Robert|date=2016-08-10|title=Unprecedented Disease-Related Coral Mortality in Southeastern Florida|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/srep31374|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=6|issue=1|pages=31374|doi=10.1038/srep31374|issn=2045-2322|pmc=4979204}}</ref> By 2019 it had spread along the [[Florida Keys]] and had appeared elsewhere in the [[Caribbean Sea]]. The disease destroys the soft tissue of at least 22 species of reef-building corals,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Meiling|first=Sonora S.|last2=Muller|first2=Erinn M.|last3=Lasseigne|first3=Danielle|last4=Rossin|first4=Ashley|last5=Veglia|first5=Alex J.|last6=MacKnight|first6=Nicholas|last7=Dimos|first7=Bradford|last8=Huntley|first8=Naomi|last9=Correa|first9=Adrienne M. S.|last10=Smith|first10=Tyler Burton|last11=Holstein|first11=Daniel M.|date=2021|title=Variable Species Responses to Experimental Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) Exposure|url=https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.670829/full|journal=Frontiers in Marine Science|language=English|volume=0|doi=10.3389/fmars.2021.670829|issn=2296-7745|hdl=1912/27453|hdl-access=free}}</ref> killing them within weeks or months of becoming infected. The causal agent is unknown but is suspected to be a [[Bacteria|bacterium]]. The degree of susceptibility of a coral, the symptoms, and the rate of progression of the disease vary between species.<ref name=FKNMS>{{cite web |url=https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/coral-disease/disease.html |title=Florida Reef Tract Coral Disease Outbreak: Disease |work=Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary|publisher=NOAA |access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> |
'''Stony coral tissue loss disease''' (SCTLD) is a [[coral disease|disease of corals]] that first appeared off the southeast coast of Florida in 2014. It originally was described as [[White plague (coral disease)|white plague disease]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Precht|first=William F.|last2=Gintert|first2=Brooke E.|last3=Robbart|first3=Martha L.|last4=Fura|first4=Ryan|last5=van Woesik|first5=Robert|date=2016-08-10|title=Unprecedented Disease-Related Coral Mortality in Southeastern Florida|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/srep31374|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=6|issue=1|pages=31374|doi=10.1038/srep31374|issn=2045-2322|pmc=4979204}}</ref> By 2019 it had spread along the [[Florida Keys]] and had appeared elsewhere in the [[Caribbean Sea]]. The disease destroys the soft tissue of at least 22 species of reef-building corals,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Meiling|first=Sonora S.|last2=Muller|first2=Erinn M.|last3=Lasseigne|first3=Danielle|last4=Rossin|first4=Ashley|last5=Veglia|first5=Alex J.|last6=MacKnight|first6=Nicholas|last7=Dimos|first7=Bradford|last8=Huntley|first8=Naomi|last9=Correa|first9=Adrienne M. S.|last10=Smith|first10=Tyler Burton|last11=Holstein|first11=Daniel M.|date=2021|title=Variable Species Responses to Experimental Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) Exposure|url=https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.670829/full|journal=Frontiers in Marine Science|language=English|volume=0|doi=10.3389/fmars.2021.670829|issn=2296-7745|hdl=1912/27453|hdl-access=free}}</ref> killing them within weeks or months of becoming infected. The causal agent is unknown but is suspected to be a [[Bacteria|bacterium]], although more recent studies suggest a [[virus]]. The degree of susceptibility of a coral, the symptoms, and the rate of progression of the disease vary between species.<ref name=FKNMS>{{cite web |url=https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/coral-disease/disease.html |title=Florida Reef Tract Coral Disease Outbreak: Disease |work=Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary|publisher=NOAA |access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> Due to its rapid spread, high mortality rate, and lack of subsidence, it has been regarded as the deadliest [[coral disease]] ever recorded, with wide-ranging implications for the biodiversity of Caribbean coral reefs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Trinidad|first=Jewel Fraser in Port-of-Spain|date=2021-07-22|title=Deadly coral disease sweeping Caribbean linked to water from ships|url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/22/deadly-coral-disease-sweeping-caribbean-linked-to-wastewater-from-ships|access-date=2021-09-07|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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The disease was first detected in late 2014 when a few corals off [[Virginia Key]], in [[Miami-Dade County, Florida]], were affected. By the following year, the disease had spread and extended from [[Pompano Beach, Florida|Pompano Beach]] to [[Biscayne National Park]]. In 2016 it reached [[Palm Beach County, Florida]], and the upper [[Florida Keys]], and the next year the lower Florida Keys. By August 2018, the disease had spread over {{convert|150|mi2|km2|0|abbr=on}} of sea, and almost half the species of coral growing in the Florida Reef Tract had been affected.<ref name=Weinberg>{{cite web |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/aug18/coral-disease-mystery-florida-keys.html |title=Scientists work together to solve a coral disease mystery in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary |author=Weinberg, Elizabeth |date=1 August 2018 |publisher=National Marine Sanctuaries |access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> By January 2019 it had been reported from [[Jamaica]], the Mexican Caribbean, [[Sint Maarten]], and [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands]].<ref name=FKNMS/> |
The disease was first detected in late 2014 when a few corals off [[Virginia Key]], in [[Miami-Dade County, Florida]], were affected. By the following year, the disease had spread and extended from [[Pompano Beach, Florida|Pompano Beach]] to [[Biscayne National Park]]. In 2016 it reached [[Palm Beach County, Florida]], and the upper [[Florida Keys]], and the next year the lower Florida Keys. By August 2018, the disease had spread over {{convert|150|mi2|km2|0|abbr=on}} of sea, and almost half the species of coral growing in the Florida Reef Tract had been affected.<ref name=Weinberg>{{cite web |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/aug18/coral-disease-mystery-florida-keys.html |title=Scientists work together to solve a coral disease mystery in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary |author=Weinberg, Elizabeth |date=1 August 2018 |publisher=National Marine Sanctuaries |access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> By January 2019 it had been reported from [[Jamaica]], the Mexican Caribbean, [[Sint Maarten]], and [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands]].<ref name=FKNMS/> |
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A 2021 study suggested that the spread of the disease is likely facilitated by [[Sailing ballast|ballast water]] from ships, due to several cases of the disease crossing currents in the opposite direction that they would flow.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dahlgren|first=Craig|last2=Pizarro|first2=Valeria|last3=Sherman|first3=Krista|last4=Greene|first4=William|last5=Oliver|first5=Joseph|date=2021|title=Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Outbreaks in The Bahamas|url=https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.682114/full|journal=Frontiers in Marine Science|language=English|volume=0|doi=10.3389/fmars.2021.682114|issn=2296-7745}}</ref> |
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==Signs== |
==Signs== |
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==Research== |
==Research== |
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This is a particularly deadly coral disease with mortality rates varying between 66% and 100%. Although the cause of the disease has not yet been established, evidence suggests that a [[bacteria]]l [[pathogen]] is being transmitted either by contact or by means of water movement. Not all corals are susceptible to the disease, with [[staghorn coral]] (''Acropora cervicornis'') and [[elkhorn coral]] (''Acropora palmata''), both of which are [[critically endangered]], appearing to be immune.<ref name=Weinberg/> |
This is a particularly deadly coral disease with mortality rates varying between 66% and 100%. Although the cause of the disease has not yet been established, evidence suggests that a [[bacteria]]l [[pathogen]] is being transmitted either by contact or by means of water movement. Not all corals are susceptible to the disease, with [[staghorn coral]] (''Acropora cervicornis'') and [[elkhorn coral]] (''Acropora palmata''), both of which are [[critically endangered]], appearing to be immune.<ref name=Weinberg/> |
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A 2021 study by the [[Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission]] involving [[Electron microscope|electron microscopy]] of infected corals suggests that SCTLD may not be caused a bacterial agent as previously thought, but rather a [[virus]] that lethally affects the [[zooxanthellae]] of corals and leads to host cell death. In diseased corals, no pathologies were noted in the coral host cells aside from [[lysis]], whereas zooxanthellae displayed [[chloroplast]] pathologies and potential single-stranded [[Orthornavirae|RNA viruses]] similar to those found in [[Plant virus|plant viruses]]. This may explain why [[amoxicillin]] paste, the only known effective treatment method, suppresses the growth of new lesions but does not prevent new lesions from forming. Given that amoxicillin is intended for bacteria, its apparent suppression of SCTLD lesions may be an unintended side-effect that affects the virus rather than actual suppression of a bacterial agent.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Connolly|first=Norma|date=2021-08-13|title=Research sheds new light on stony coral disease|url=https://www.caymancompass.com/2021/08/13/research-sheds-new-light-on-stony-coral-disease/|access-date=2021-09-07|website=Cayman Compass|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Work|first=Thierry M.|date=June 15, 2021|title=Final report on electron microscopy of Florida corals affected with stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD)|url=https://www.caymancompass.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/USGS-SCTLD-research-report.pdf|url-status=live|website=}}</ref> |
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==Susceptibility== |
==Susceptibility== |
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The first species on a reef to be infected are usually the [[Corallite|meandroid]] corals such as [[pillar coral]] (''Dendrogyra cylindrus''), [[Dichocoenia|elliptical star coral]] (''Dichocoenia stokes''), [[Eusmilia|smooth flower coral]] (''Eusmilia fastigiata''), and [[Meandrina|maze corals]] (''Meandrina'' spp.). Other susceptible species include [[Colpophyllia|boulder brain coral]] (''Colpophyllia natans''), [[Diploria|grooved brain coral]] (''Diploria labyrinthiformis''), [[Eusmilia|smooth flower coral]] (''Eusmilia fastigiata''), [[Meandrina meandrites|maze coral]] (''Meandrina meandrites''), [[Pseudodiploria strigosa|symmetrical brain coral]] (''Pseudodiploria strigosa'') and [[Pseudodiploria clivosa|knobby brain coral]] (''Pseudodiploria clivosa'').<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.icriforum.org/news/2019/04/stony-coral-tissue-loss-disease |title=Stony coral tissue loss disease |publisher=International Coral Reef Initiative |access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> |
The first species on a reef to be infected are usually the [[Corallite|meandroid]] corals such as [[pillar coral]] (''Dendrogyra cylindrus''), [[Dichocoenia|elliptical star coral]] (''Dichocoenia stokes''), [[Eusmilia|smooth flower coral]] (''Eusmilia fastigiata''), and [[Meandrina|maze corals]] (''Meandrina'' spp.). Other susceptible species include [[Colpophyllia|boulder brain coral]] (''Colpophyllia natans''), [[Diploria|grooved brain coral]] (''Diploria labyrinthiformis''), [[Eusmilia|smooth flower coral]] (''Eusmilia fastigiata''), [[Meandrina meandrites|maze coral]] (''Meandrina meandrites''), [[Pseudodiploria strigosa|symmetrical brain coral]] (''Pseudodiploria strigosa'') and [[Pseudodiploria clivosa|knobby brain coral]] (''Pseudodiploria clivosa'').<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.icriforum.org/news/2019/04/stony-coral-tissue-loss-disease |title=Stony coral tissue loss disease |publisher=International Coral Reef Initiative |access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> The genetically distinct Florida population of pillar coral has been essentially extirpated in the wild, and now primarily survives only in captivity.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jones|first=Nicholas P.|last2=Kabay|first2=Lystina|last3=Semon Lunz|first3=Kathleen|last4=Gilliam|first4=David S.|date=2021-07-08|title=Temperature stress and disease drives the extirpation of the threatened pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, in southeast Florida|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93111-0|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=11|issue=1|pages=14113|doi=10.1038/s41598-021-93111-0|issn=2045-2322}}</ref> |
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Research suggests that [[Indo-Pacific]] coral species may also be susceptible to this disease, which could have severe consequences if the disease happened to reach the Indo-Pacific via the [[Panama Canal]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-06-03|title=This Deadly Coral Disease Is Threatening More Than Just Reefs|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-03/this-deadly-coral-disease-is-threatening-more-than-just-reefs|access-date=2021-09-07}}</ref> |
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== Conservation == |
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Due to the wide-ranging effects of the disease, many of the susceptible coral species have had fragments harvested from the wild, which have then been taken into captivity across the [[United States]] for the purpose of conservation, [[captive breeding]] and [[selective breeding]], until either conditions improve or the captive corals develop resilience to the disease.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tomassoni|first=Teresa|title=The race to rescue Florida’s diseased corals|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/interactive/2021/florida-rescue-coral-reef/|access-date=2021-09-07|website=Washington Post|language=en}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 01:35, 7 September 2021
Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a disease of corals that first appeared off the southeast coast of Florida in 2014. It originally was described as white plague disease.[1] By 2019 it had spread along the Florida Keys and had appeared elsewhere in the Caribbean Sea. The disease destroys the soft tissue of at least 22 species of reef-building corals,[2] killing them within weeks or months of becoming infected. The causal agent is unknown but is suspected to be a bacterium, although more recent studies suggest a virus. The degree of susceptibility of a coral, the symptoms, and the rate of progression of the disease vary between species.[3] Due to its rapid spread, high mortality rate, and lack of subsidence, it has been regarded as the deadliest coral disease ever recorded, with wide-ranging implications for the biodiversity of Caribbean coral reefs.[4]
History
The disease was first detected in late 2014 when a few corals off Virginia Key, in Miami-Dade County, Florida, were affected. By the following year, the disease had spread and extended from Pompano Beach to Biscayne National Park. In 2016 it reached Palm Beach County, Florida, and the upper Florida Keys, and the next year the lower Florida Keys. By August 2018, the disease had spread over 150 sq mi (388 km2) of sea, and almost half the species of coral growing in the Florida Reef Tract had been affected.[5] By January 2019 it had been reported from Jamaica, the Mexican Caribbean, Sint Maarten, and Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.[3]
A 2021 study suggested that the spread of the disease is likely facilitated by ballast water from ships, due to several cases of the disease crossing currents in the opposite direction that they would flow.[6]
Signs
The signs of this disease are somewhat variable, and it may be difficult to distinguish from other coral diseases. SCTLD manifests as rapidly expanding lesions on the coral.[7] Sometimes the infection exhibits a series of blotches that radiate outwards and coalesce. Small corals may be killed within weeks while larger individuals may survive for months or even a year or two.[3]
Research
This is a particularly deadly coral disease with mortality rates varying between 66% and 100%. Although the cause of the disease has not yet been established, evidence suggests that a bacterial pathogen is being transmitted either by contact or by means of water movement. Not all corals are susceptible to the disease, with staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), both of which are critically endangered, appearing to be immune.[5]
A 2021 study by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission involving electron microscopy of infected corals suggests that SCTLD may not be caused a bacterial agent as previously thought, but rather a virus that lethally affects the zooxanthellae of corals and leads to host cell death. In diseased corals, no pathologies were noted in the coral host cells aside from lysis, whereas zooxanthellae displayed chloroplast pathologies and potential single-stranded RNA viruses similar to those found in plant viruses. This may explain why amoxicillin paste, the only known effective treatment method, suppresses the growth of new lesions but does not prevent new lesions from forming. Given that amoxicillin is intended for bacteria, its apparent suppression of SCTLD lesions may be an unintended side-effect that affects the virus rather than actual suppression of a bacterial agent.[8][9]
Susceptibility
The first species on a reef to be infected are usually the meandroid corals such as pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus), elliptical star coral (Dichocoenia stokes), smooth flower coral (Eusmilia fastigiata), and maze corals (Meandrina spp.). Other susceptible species include boulder brain coral (Colpophyllia natans), grooved brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis), smooth flower coral (Eusmilia fastigiata), maze coral (Meandrina meandrites), symmetrical brain coral (Pseudodiploria strigosa) and knobby brain coral (Pseudodiploria clivosa).[10] The genetically distinct Florida population of pillar coral has been essentially extirpated in the wild, and now primarily survives only in captivity.[11]
Research suggests that Indo-Pacific coral species may also be susceptible to this disease, which could have severe consequences if the disease happened to reach the Indo-Pacific via the Panama Canal.[12]
Conservation
Due to the wide-ranging effects of the disease, many of the susceptible coral species have had fragments harvested from the wild, which have then been taken into captivity across the United States for the purpose of conservation, captive breeding and selective breeding, until either conditions improve or the captive corals develop resilience to the disease.[13]
References
- ^ Precht, William F.; Gintert, Brooke E.; Robbart, Martha L.; Fura, Ryan; van Woesik, Robert (2016-08-10). "Unprecedented Disease-Related Coral Mortality in Southeastern Florida". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 31374. doi:10.1038/srep31374. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 4979204.
- ^ Meiling, Sonora S.; Muller, Erinn M.; Lasseigne, Danielle; Rossin, Ashley; Veglia, Alex J.; MacKnight, Nicholas; Dimos, Bradford; Huntley, Naomi; Correa, Adrienne M. S.; Smith, Tyler Burton; Holstein, Daniel M. (2021). "Variable Species Responses to Experimental Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) Exposure". Frontiers in Marine Science. 0. doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.670829. hdl:1912/27453. ISSN 2296-7745.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ a b c "Florida Reef Tract Coral Disease Outbreak: Disease". Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ Trinidad, Jewel Fraser in Port-of-Spain (2021-07-22). "Deadly coral disease sweeping Caribbean linked to water from ships". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
- ^ a b Weinberg, Elizabeth (1 August 2018). "Scientists work together to solve a coral disease mystery in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary". National Marine Sanctuaries. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ Dahlgren, Craig; Pizarro, Valeria; Sherman, Krista; Greene, William; Oliver, Joseph (2021). "Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Outbreaks in The Bahamas". Frontiers in Marine Science. 0. doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.682114. ISSN 2296-7745.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ SCTLD Case Definition (2018). Florida Coral Disease Response Research & Epidemiology Team. Available online at: https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/ files/Copy%20of%20StonyCoralTissueLossDisease_CaseDefinition%20final% 2010022018.pdf (accessed October 6, 2020).
- ^ Connolly, Norma (2021-08-13). "Research sheds new light on stony coral disease". Cayman Compass. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
- ^ Work, Thierry M. (June 15, 2021). "Final report on electron microscopy of Florida corals affected with stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD)" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Stony coral tissue loss disease". International Coral Reef Initiative. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ Jones, Nicholas P.; Kabay, Lystina; Semon Lunz, Kathleen; Gilliam, David S. (2021-07-08). "Temperature stress and disease drives the extirpation of the threatened pillar coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, in southeast Florida". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 14113. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-93111-0. ISSN 2045-2322.
- ^ "This Deadly Coral Disease Is Threatening More Than Just Reefs". Bloomberg.com. 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
- ^ Tomassoni, Teresa. "The race to rescue Florida's diseased corals". Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
