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Coral diseases that are distributed throughout an area can have a big impact on other parts of reef communities. Not only do coral diseases impact the overall accretion and surface area of the coral, it also affects coral reproduction, the diversity and prosperity of reef species, topography of structures, and community dynamics. [1]
It is now considered the commonest disease of corals in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, especially in warmer or more polluted waters. [3] The spread of the disease across an infected coral has been measured at 2 millimeters (0.079 in) in the Red Sea and 2 to 3 millimeters (0.079 to 0.118 in) around the Great Barrier Reef. [3]
Disease is a serious threat to many coral species. The diseases of coral may consist of bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infections. Due to stressors like climate change and pollution, coral can become more vulnerable to diseases. Some examples of coral disease are Vibrio, white syndrome, white band, rapid wasting disease, and many more. [84]
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]
Example of black band disease progression on a colony of Diploria strigosa. Black band disease is a coral disease in which corals develop a black band. It is characterized by complete tissue degradation due to a pathogenic microbial consortium. [1] The mat is present between apparently healthy coral tissue and freshly exposed coral skeleton.
Yellow-band disease is a bacterial infection that spreads over coral, causing the discolored bands of pale-yellow or white lesions along the surface of an infected coral colony. The lesions are the locations where the bacteria have killed the coral's symbiotic photosynthetic algae, called zooxanthellae which are a major energy source for the ...
Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. [1] This is in contrast with mutualism , in which both organisms benefit from each other; amensalism , where one is harmed while the other is unaffected; and parasitism , where one is ...
The best known of these are the bluestreak cleaner wrasses of the genus Labroides found on coral reefs in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. These small fish maintain so-called "cleaning stations" where other fish, known as hosts, will congregate and perform specific movements to attract the attention of the cleaner fish. [ 26 ]