11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

7.183
Identifying Potential Pathogens Of montipora White Syndrome Through Microbial
Community Profiling
Ashley SMITH* 1 , Teresa LEWIS 1 , Greta AEBY 1 , Thierry WORK 2 , Jo-Ann LEONG 1
1 Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kaneohe, HI,
2 USGS-BRD-NWHIC, Honolulu, HI
Montipora White Syndrome (MWS) is a tissue loss disease that affects the common reef
coral, Montipora capitata, in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu Hawaii. This disease was first
identified in the main Hawaiian Islands in 2004 and is the target of an investigation
characterizing MWS using field, histology and molecular microbiological techniques.
The objective of this component was to identify the bacterial communities in healthy and
diseased Montipora capitata to establish a baseline for further experiments. Serial
dilutions of coral mucus were plated on Glycerol Artificial Seawater (GASW) and
Thiosulfate Citrate Bile Sucrose (TCBS) media to determine CFU/ml of culturable
bacteria as well as relative abundance of Vibrio spp. Colony count data revealed an
average 1.6 x103 CFU/ml of mucus in healthy fragments whereas mucus collected from
the diseased front had 2.0 x104 CFU/ml. Comparison of samples from healthy and MWS
samples revealed a five-fold increase of Vibrio spp. in the MWS samples, from an
average 0.546% increasing to 2.67% Vibrio spp. respectively. Molecular analysis of 16S
rDNA from individual colonies provides bacterial community profiles from healthy and
diseased Montipora mucus samples. Uncultured bacteria from mucus have been
identified by analysis of clone libraries. Based on these profiles, potential pathogens will
be selected for challenge experiments with Montipora capitata fragments in an attempt to
induce MWS.
Research support funded by NOAA HCRI-RP #NOA06NOS4260200
7.184
The Unknowns in Coral Disease Identification: An Experiment To Assess
Consensus Of Opinion Amongst Experts
Edward HIND* 1 , Alasdair LINDOP 1
1 Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United
Kingdom
This is not the normal format for an abstract submission. This is a request to perform an
actual experiment at the upcoming 11th ICRS. As postgraduate students fairly new to the
subject of coral disease we were amazed in a recent seminar on identification of these
diseases at how hard it was to visually identify what the diseases were with certainty. We
asked the question of more senior academics and they confirmed that there is still much
debate in circles of expertise over actual identification. This intrigued us and further
study showed us that there was very little study on these potential uncertainties. We were
thus enthused to undertake a study ourselves. We conferred with the ICRS scientific
organisers and in particular those organising the coral disease mini-symposium and
believe a poster presentation would be an excellent format for undertaking this research.
Instead of portraying any results the poster would have large pictures of approximately
twenty coral assemblages with disease, lesions or damage. We would then ask passing
experts at the conference a few questions about their experiences with coral diseases
before getting them to assess the pictures on the poster. The questions would be asked
via an anonymous hard copy questionnaire. We would not be looking for correct answers
as such, but for the level of agreement between respondents. The high volume of
potential respondents with expert knowledge at the ICRS would allow for statistically
significant results to be derived. We would look to publish these results to advance
understanding in coral disease research.
Poster Mini-Symposium 7: Diseases on Coral Reefs
7.185
A Gall-Forming Copepod Causes Localized Bleaching Of The Coral Porites
Hideyuki YAMASHIRO* 1
1 Bioresources, Okinawa National College of Technology, Nago, Japan
I found a small circular white spot on the surface of a coral Porites spp. on the reef flat of
Okinawa Japan. This white spot resembles its color and size in PUWS (Porites Ulcerative
White Spot Syndrome) reported from Philippine. However the white spot observed in
Okinawan Porites was not PUWF disease, and found that a copepod Xenomolgus varius lives in
the skeleton under the spot (Hoi and Yamashiro (2007). X. varius was found from the formalinwashout
of the coral Porites in Mauritius (Humes and Stock, 1973) and it has not been unclear
where this species live. The individuals situate in the skeleton and the head is set upward.
Coral soft tissue has a small hole, through which they may get something and release larvae.
The present study is to elucidate the reason why the copepods bleach coral tissue. To observe
the relationship between copepod and symbiotic algae, histological sections were made.
Furthermore the gut content of the copepod was investigated with a fluorescent microscope.
This parasitic copepod did not affect coral reproduction. Observation showed that the copepod
eats symbiotic algae of the host coral. To get sufficient food, they must need culture algae
around them under dim light. The copepods have to inhibit the growth/photosynthesis of upper
symbiotic algae as a curtain, because they need much sunlight for lower algae as a food. This
cryptic copepod has highly organized strategies; transformation of the coral skeleton to live in,
inhibition of symbiotic algae to uptake sunlight and culture. Although the effect of copepod
inhabitation on host coral seems not to be serious at present, continuous monitoring is needed.
7.186
The Infection Of A Parasitic Copepod, Xarifia Obesa On Corals
Ming-Jay HO* 1 , Yu-Rong CHENG 1 , Chang-Feng DAI 1
1 Institue of Oceanography, NTU, Taipei, Taiwan
86 species of xarifiids in four genera have been discovered associated with corals. They are
widely distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific region with an apparent absence from the central
and eastern Pacific. To date, xarifiids have been known to live in the gastrovascular cavity of
polyps of both hermatypic and ahermatypic scleractinians. However, how do xarifiids establish
their association with corals and what do they consume are still unknown. When studying the
parasitic copepods on corals from Taiwan, we observed the behavior of X. obesa by re-infecting
it to a pocilloporid coral, Stylophora pistillata. The extension of coral tentacles were induced
gradually when X. obesa was approaching a coral polyp. This phenomenon suggests that the
xarifiids may be immuned to the nematocysts of corals and release some chemicals resulting in
the relaxation of coral polyps. In addition, we also observed X. obesa with many zooxanthellae
cells and pigments inside its body. It suggests that the xarifiids may consume zooxanthellae in
addition to coral mucus. This may further induce negative effects to corals particularly when
corals are under environmental stresses of bleaching.
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