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Explained and unexplained tissue loss in corals from the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
Jenny Carolina Rodríguez-Villalobos1, Thierry Martin Work, Luis Eduardo Calderon-Aguilera
1Departamento de Ecología Marina, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Carretera Ensenada-Tijuana, # 3918, Zona Playitas, CP 22860 Ensenada, BC, Mexico.
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms
|October 21, 2015
Summary
Coral tissue loss in Mexico is mostly due to predation, not disease. Further research is needed to understand unexplained lesions potentially linked to white syndrome (WS) in dominant Pocillopora corals.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Coral Reef Ecology
- Conservation Science
Background:
- Coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots facing decline due to disease.
- Tissue loss lesions are observed in dominant Pocillopora corals along Mexico's Pacific coast.
Purpose of the Study:
- Characterize tissue loss in 7 Pocillopora species across 9 locations in Mexico.
- Differentiate between predation-induced and unexplained tissue loss.
- Identify common predators and their coral species preferences.
Main Methods:
- Field surveys of 1054 tissue loss cases across 44 sites.
- Photographic documentation and classification of lesions.
- Concurrent focal predation study to confirm lesion origins.
Main Results:
- 84% of tissue loss cases were linked to predation by fish, snails, or seastars.
- Pufferfish, crown-of-thorns starfish, and snails were identified as key predators.
- Unexplained tissue loss, similar to white syndrome (WS), occurred at 4 locations (1-3% prevalence).
Conclusions:
- Predation is the primary driver of tissue loss in Pocillopora corals in Mexico.
- Geographic variation exists in lesion types, with Cabo Pulmo showing high predation rates.
- Further investigation is required to determine the causes and impacts of unexplained tissue loss.
