Abstract
A Fatal Switch for Corals?
Highlights
In the late summer of 2005, abnormally warm ocean temperatures led to the most severe coral bleaching event ever documented in the northeast Caribbean
Algae living in symbiotic harmony with their animal hosts were expelled, leaving great expanses of white, or so-called bleached, coral reef
The 2005 Caribbean die-off followed closely on the heels of massive coral bleaching and disease events recorded in the Indian Ocean and Great Barrier Reef in 1998 and again in 2002, and in the wider Caribbean in 1997 and 1998. As they survey and report the consequences of increasing disease outbreaks, researchers are trying to understand the relationships between temperature, bleaching, disease, and coral death
Summary
In the late summer of 2005, abnormally warm ocean temperatures led to the most severe coral bleaching event ever documented in the northeast Caribbean. Beneficial and pathogenic microbial communities associated with different coral species and with different disease complexes. Given the challenges inherent in field approaches, Justin Mao-Jones and colleagues from Cornell University turned to modeling in a new study in this issue of PLoS Biology to provide a theoretical explanation for this microbial community shift.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call