Coral Health and Disease

Coral reefs are the most spectacular and diverse ecosystems in the marine environment. Over the last decades, however, dramatic declines of coral reef communities have been observed. Corals are endangered due to natural and anthropogenic detrimental factors, such as global warming and environmental pollution.

Based on an international meeting on "Coral Health and Disease" in Eilat, Israel in April 2003, the book starts with case studies of reefs, e.g. the Red Sea, Caribbean, Japan, Indian Ocean and the Great Barrier Reef. The second part on microbial ecology and physiology describes the symbiotic relations of corals and microbes, and the microbial role in nutrition or bleaching resistance of corals. Particular coral diseases such as aspergillosis, white pox, black and white band diseases are treated in the third part. Finally, various hypotheses of the mechanisms of coral bleaching, including a projection of the future of coral reefs, are discussed.

With over 50 beautiful color photos of corals and their environments Including a review of three decades studies of coral community structures in the Red Sea Also of interest for amateur divers and environmental protectors Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Klappentext

Coral reefs constitute the most spectacular and diverse ecosystems in the marine environment. They form reservoirs of the highest biological diversity, including genetic resources and bio-active compounds. Unfortunately, coral reefs are also among the most heavily degraded marine ecosystems. Over the last two decades, coral reef communities have been experiencing increasingly stressful conditions due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic detrimental factors. Coral diseases are among the most recent in a series of threats (e.g. coral bleaching, over exploitation of fish stocks, destructive fishing practices and coastal developments) that is challenging the resilience of coral reef communities.

During an international meeting on coral diseases held in Eilat, Israel, in 2003, leading scientists presented reviews and recent results of laboratory research and in situ observations in order to assess the status of coral health and to understand the disease mechanisms.

The most relevant papers are now presented in Coral Health and Disease. The book starts with several case studies of reefs, which strongly differ regionally, e.g. the Red Sea, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Gulf of Mexico, Japan, western Indian Ocean and the Great Barrier Reef. The second part on microbial ecology and physiology contains contributions describing the symbiotic relations of corals and microbes, the microbial role in nutrition and bleaching resistance and the antibacterial activities of corals. Particular coral diseases, such as aspergillosis, white pox, black, yellow and white band diseases are treated in the third part. Finally, different hypotheses of the mechanisms of coral bleaching, including a projection of the future of coral reefs, are discussed.

Inhalt
1 The Coral Reefs of Eilat Past, Present and Future: Three Decades of Coral Community Structure Studies.- 2 Coral Reef Diseases in the Wider Caribbean.- 3 Coral Disease on the Great Barrier Reef.- 4 Coral Diseases in Gulf of México Reefs.- 5 Coral Bleaching: Signs of Change in Southern Japan.- 6 Coral Bleaching in a Temperate Sea: From Colony Physiology to Population Ecology.- 7 Coral Bleaching, Diseases and Mortality in the Western Indian Ocean.- 8 Symbiont Diversity on Coral Reefs and Its Relationship to Bleaching Resistance and Resilience.- 9 Stress Effects on Metabolism and Photosynthesis of Hermatypic Corals.- 10 What Can Regeneration Processes Tell Us About Coral Disease?.- 11 Bacteria as a Source of Coral Nutrition.- 12 Antimicrobial Activity of Sponges and Corals.- 13 Microbial Communities of Coral Surface Mucopolysaccharide Layers.- 14 Culture-Independent Analyses of Coral-Associated Microbes.- 15 Aspergillosis of Gorgonians.- 16 White Pox Disease of the Caribbean Elkhorn Coral, Acropora palmata.- 17 Temperature-Regulated Bleaching and Tissue Lysis of Pocillopora damicornis by the Novel Pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus.- 18 Black Band Disease.- 19 Dark Spots Disease and Yellow Band Disease, Two Poorly Known Coral Diseases with High Incidence in Caribbean Reefs.- 20 White Plague, White Band, and Other White Diseases.- 21 Monitoring the Health of Coral Reef Ecosystems Using Community Metabolism.- 22 Coral Resistance to Disease.- 23 Temperature Stress and Coral Bleaching.- 24 The Adaptive Hypothesis of Bleaching.- 25 The Bacterial Disease Hypothesis of Coral Bleaching.- 26 Coral Reefs and Projections of Future Change.