Abstract
Black band is a deadly coral disease found worldwide, which may become more virulent as oceanic conditions continue to change. To determine the effects of climate change and ocean acidification on black band disease virulence, Orbicella faveolata corals with black band were exposed to different temperature and pH conditions. Results showed a significant decrease in disease progression under low pH (7.7) conditions. Low pH also altered the relative abundance of the bacterial community of the black band disease consortium. Here, there was a significant decrease in Roseofilum, the cyanobacterium that typically dominates the black band mat. These results indicate that as oceanic pH decreases so may the virulence of a worldwide coral disease.
Highlights
Black-band disease is one of the most prevalent and virulent diseases affecting contemporary corals world-wide with progression rates reaching over 2 cm day-1 [1,2,3]
Statistical analyses showed a significant impact of pH on the progression rates of black band disease infecting O. faveolata with reduced progression rates under the low pH treatment (F(1,386) = 14.175; p
The progression rate of black band disease was significantly reduced under low pH conditions, which was likely not a result of the physiological state or the bacterial community of the coral host
Summary
Black-band disease is one of the most prevalent and virulent diseases affecting contemporary corals world-wide with progression rates reaching over 2 cm day-1 [1,2,3]. Black band disease is a generalist disease affecting at least 42 Caribbean species of corals, including both scleractinians and gorgonians [4,5]. The disease is characterized as a microbial assemblage that creates a dark band, ranging from black to red in appearance, which moves across healthy coral tissue, causing mortality and leaving behind bare skeleton [6]. Black band disease functions by creating microenvironments that are anoxic, low in pH, and high in sulfide [8]. The coral animal is unable to survive in this environment and becomes the organic fuel of the black band disease microbial consortium [8,9]. The black band disease consortium, requires these microenvironment conditions to survive and thrive. Black band has been studied for decades, Koch’s postulates, used to determine disease causation, have not been fulfilled for black band disease because of its complex
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