Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicole K. Hayes, Charles J. Walton, David S. Gilliam
Summary: The stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak has had a long-term impact on coral communities, causing changes in population structure and composition. While some species still exist, the likelihood of recovery is limited without immediate action to address local and global stressors.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lauren T. Toth, Travis A. Courtney, Michael A. Colella, Rob R. Ruzicka
Summary: SCTLD has had an unprecedented impact on the western Atlantic coral-reef ecosystems, causing a decline in reef-accretion potential and altering the composition of coral assemblages. The loss of reef-building corals has significantly decreased carbonate production, leading to a decline in their capacity for growth.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nikki Traylor-Knowles, Michael T. Connelly, Benjamin D. Young, Katherine Eaton, Erinn M. Muller, Valerie J. Paul, Blake Ushijima, Allyson DeMerlis, Melissa K. Drown, Ashley Goncalves, Nicholas Kron, Grace A. Snyder, Cecily Martin, Kevin Rodriguez
Summary: The study conducted three different SCTLD transmission experiments in 2019-2020 and found that diseased corals exhibited significantly different gene expressions related to immunity, apoptosis, and tissue rearrangement compared to healthy colonies. The research suggests a complex immune and apoptosis response in corals during SCTLD transmission, emphasizing the importance of studying early infection time points to understand disease activation mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Graham Kolodziej, Michael S. Studivan, Arthur C. R. Gleason, Chris Langdon, Ian C. Enochs, Derek P. Manzello
Summary: Since 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease has spread throughout Florida's coral reef tract and the Caribbean, reaching the upper Florida Keys by 2016. Despite the presence of the disease at Cheeca Rocks, the impact on coral cover and community structure has been relatively low compared to other sites on Florida's coral reef tract, highlighting the potential role of this site in coral resilience.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Greta Aeby, Blake Ushijima, Erich Bartels, Cory Walter, Joseph Kuehl, Scott Jones, Valerie J. Paul
Summary: The study investigated the impact of Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) in different regions and found that lesion morphology and development patterns vary across regions and change over time.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Craig Dahlgren, Valeria Pizarro, Krista Sherman, William Greene, Joseph Oliver
Summary: Coral reefs in Grand Bahama and New Providence islands have experienced declines in coral cover due to hurricanes, bleaching events, and local threats, but the greatest impact in the past decade may be attributed to stony coral tissue loss disease. The disease has significantly affected coral populations, with certain species showing higher infection and mortality rates near international shipping ports. Initial assessments were conducted before the disease outbreak was reported, and subsequent surveys indicated spatial patterns of mortality and infection rates, as well as some resistance to the disease.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marilyn E. Brandt, Rosmin S. Ennis, Sonora S. Meiling, Joseph Townsend, Kathryn Cobleigh, Adam Glahn, Jason Quetel, Viktor Brandtneris, Leslie M. Henderson, Tyler B. Smith
Summary: A deadly multi-host stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is spreading in the Caribbean, affecting coral communities and causing significant impact on coral cover. The disease has been found in the US Virgin Islands, with highly affected species including Colpophyllia natans, Eusmilia fastigiata, Montastraea cavernosa, Orbicella spp., and Pseudodiploria strigosa. The disease is expected to spread further across the region in the near future.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mar Truc, Antonella Rivera, Gabriela M. Ochoa, Damaris Duenas, Zara Guifarro, Gisselle Brady, Zara Zuniga, Braulio Gutierrez, Caitlin Chock, Laura Zaldivar
Summary: Scleractinian corals, the main builders of reef ecosystems, have endured significant damage due to increasing human impact on coral communities. The emergence and spread of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has caused severe effects on Caribbean coral reefs. Monitoring efforts on Roatan Island in Honduras since January 2020 have revealed the rapid progression of SCTLD, affecting at least 28 coral species. The spread of the disease has shown geographical patterns and further research is needed to determine the factors contributing to these disparities.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ian R. Combs, Michael S. Studivan, Ryan J. Eckert, Joshua D. Voss
Summary: Since 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has caused significant declines in reef-building corals in Florida. This study combined SCTLD prevalence assessments with colony-level monitoring to understand disease dynamics, revealing that disease prevalence varied among different locations but did not change significantly over time. By using 3D photogrammetry to track the fate of infected coral colonies, researchers found that total colony area and healthy tissue area decreased significantly over time.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rachele Spadafore, Ryan Fura, William F. Precht, Steven V. Vollmer
Summary: This study focused on environmental compliance monitoring associated with the Port Miami dredging project from 2013 to 2015, revealing that coral mortality was primarily impacted by disease, particularly the emergent stony coral tissue loss disease, rather than by dredging or sediment burial.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sophia V. Costa, Stephanie J. Hibberts, Danielle A. Olive, Kayla A. Budd, Alexys E. Long, Sonora S. Meiling, Madyson B. Miller, Kelsey M. Vaughn, Claudia I. Carrion, Maksym B. Cohen, Annie E. Savage, Matthew F. Souza, Lorraine Buckley, Kristin W. Grimes, Renata Platenberg, Tyler B. Smith, Jeremiah Blondeau, Marilyn E. Brandt
Summary: Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) was first observed in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in January 2019, affecting at least 20 scleractinian coral species. Research indicates a significant positive relationship between disease prevalence and species diversity in the epidemic zone, with high species diversity sites experiencing greater disease impact in the endemic zone.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Brian K. Walker, Nicholas R. Turner, Hunter K. G. Noren, Samantha F. Buckley, Kelly A. Pitts
Summary: The study compared the effectiveness of antibiotic paste and chlorinated epoxy treatments on Montastraea cavernosa, finding that antibiotic paste outperformed chlorinated epoxy in treating coral tissue loss disease. This suggests that antibiotic paste could be a more effective intervention to reduce disease prevalence.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thierry M. Work, Tina M. Weatherby, Jan H. Landsberg, Yasunari Kiryu, Samantha M. Cook, Esther C. Peters
Summary: Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) was first documented in 2014 near the Port of Miami, Florida, and has since spread along Florida's Coral Reef, leading to significant coral mortality. The disease is likely caused by a viral infection affecting the endosymbionts, ultimately leading to the death of coral hosts. Further research is needed to confirm the presence of the virus associated with SCTLD through molecular assays and experimental infection of corals.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katherine R. Eaton, Jan H. Landsberg, Yasunari Kiryu, Esther C. Peters, Erinn M. Muller
Summary: The results suggest that SCTLD may be systemic within small-sized colonies; direct contact between recipient fragments and subacute SCTLD-lesioned tissue often leads to tissue loss in recipient fragments; Orbicella faveolata exhibits higher rates of lesion appearance and subsequent mortality compared to Montastraea cavernosa, but once a lesion appears, Montastraea cavernosa loses tissue faster than Orbicella faveolata.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas Dobbelaere, Daniel M. Holstein, Erinn M. Muller, Lewis J. Gramer, Lucas McEachron, Sara D. Williams, Emmanuel Hanert
Summary: For the past 7 years, Florida's Coral Reef has experienced severe coral loss due to the stony coral tissue loss disease. A recent study suggests that the spread of the disease is influenced by ocean circulation patterns, particularly in the western edge of the reef. The study provides new insights into the dynamics of disease transmission and its impact on uninfected areas.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sara D. Williams, Mark R. Patterson
Article
Microbiology
Abigail S. Clark, Sara D. Williams, Kerry Maxwell, Stephanie M. Rosales, Lindsay K. Huebner, Jan H. Landsberg, John H. Hunt, Erinn M. Muller
Summary: The study revealed that coral colonies affected by SCTLD in five susceptible species exhibited specific microbial signatures, with the order Rhodobacterales and Clostridiales potentially playing key roles in the disease's progression. This suggests that stress-induced dysbiosis of coral microbiomes may contribute to the increase in opportunistic pathogens associated with SCTLD.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Anshuman Swain, Sara D. Williams, Louisa J. Di Felice, Elizabeth A. Hobson
Summary: In animal societies, individuals take on different roles to meet their own needs and the needs of their group. Ant colonies exhibit high levels of organizational complexity, with individual ants fulfilling various roles over time. This study explores the relationship between interaction networks, task allocation, and task switching in ant colonies, shedding light on the impact of information flow on task allocation.