Species-specific susceptibility to white plague disease in three common Caribbean corals

Abstract

White plague disease has caused widespread coral mortality and affects over 30 Caribbean coral species, yet how different coral species respond to disease exposure has not been tested experimentally. This study quantified white plague transmission from Orbicella franksi to three susceptible and abundant coral species in the U.S. Virgin Islands: Orbicella annularis, Siderastrea siderea, and Porites astreoides. White plague was observed in 83% of tested O. annularis corals within 5.8 ± 1.1 (mean ± SE) d, 42% of S. siderea corals within 9.1 ± 1.4 d, and 17% of P. astreoides corals within 12 ± 0.87 d. Results from this study indicate that: (1) O. annularis is significantly more susceptible to white plague than S. siderea and P. astreoides, and (2) white plague infection occurs more rapidly in O. annularis than in P. astreoides. These results are important for understanding how multi-species diseases may impact coral species assemblages.