Disease

Conservation Issue

A ridged coral colony; most of the colony is white and recently dead, with a small portion of brown, living tissue along the right edge.
A diseased brain coral at FGBNMS. Photo: NOAA

Various stressors, alone or together, exacerbate the susceptibility of organisms to disease and contribute to ecosystem degradation. For example, thermal stress can reduce disease resistance in scleractinian corals, which can result in mortality and other cascading effects that can lead to the eventual loss of reef structure. Similarly, recent studies suggest that sponge disease outbreaks are a global phenomenon that could also adversely affect the health and ecology of reef systems.

Description

To date, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) has experienced minimal impact from diseases, likely attributable to various factors including its distance from shore, relative isolation, and favorable water quality. However, recent observations of coral disease outbreaks have heightened concerns about coral mortality in FGBNMS, as well as sublethal impacts, such as reduced reproduction and recruitment. There is a need, therefore, to characterize diseases, monitor their prevalence and severity, and assess shifts in susceptibility and resilience within the sanctuary. Similar information is needed for sanctuary sponges, as significant declines, including the complete loss of the ecologically important sponge Ircinia strobilina, have been documented in certain areas of the sanctuary. Sponges play roles analogous to scleractinian corals, serving as vital habitats for various reef fish species by facilitating recruitment, growth, reproduction, and feeding. As temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico continue to rise, anticipated direct and indirect impacts on sponges include bleaching, mortality, alterations in microbiome community composition, and heightened susceptibility to disease. A key challenge in managing sponge diseases is the dearth of fundamental information regarding the causative agents and potential reservoirs or vectors of disease.

Data and Analysis Needs

  1. Thermal stress and calcification experiments, along with coral genotype assessments, to evaluate resilience, gamete development, and survivorship, providing data for biobanking and restoration efforts
  2. Implementation and assessment of targeted interventions and their potential consequences and impacts on vulnerable species within the sanctuary
  3. Information on the ecology and epizootiology of diseases, including modeling spread phases and predicting risk under various stressors
  4. Identification of stressors that can be mitigated to reduce disease susceptibility and maintain resistance and resilience of coral and sponge populations
  5. Comprehensive characterization of changes in host traits (e.g., coral immune responses, gene expression) and microbial symbiont diversity associated with healthy and diseased states of dominant members of the reef benthos

Potential Products

  • Preventative and strike team response protocols, along with rapid response plans tailored to susceptible organisms within FGBNMS
  • Collaboration agreements with research institutions, conservation organizations, and relevant industries to facilitate ongoing disease research and mitigation strategies
  • Infrastructure to support genetic banking, restoration interventions, climate resilience studies, and disease monitoring for FGBNMS corals, including holding and spawning facilities, developed in collaboration with partners
  • Predictive risk assessment tools that can inform targeted management actions, such as models to anticipate and evaluate the likelihood of disease spread within the sanctuary
  • A biobanking and cryopreservation program that leverages partnerships to store genetic material of vulnerable species for future conservation efforts
  • Surveillance and monitoring systems to detect early signs of disease outbreaks in the sanctuary and track their spread, using advanced technologies such as remote sensing and underwater sensors
  • Specialized training programs for sanctuary staff, researchers, and volunteers to enhance their capacity for disease detection, response, and management, ensuring readiness to address disease outbreaks effectively
  • Citizen science initiatives to engage the community in disease monitoring and surveillance and empower volunteers to contribute valuable data on disease prevalence and ecosystem health in the sanctuary
  • Efficient mechanisms for reporting and documenting disease in the sanctuary to facilitate data collection and analysis, as well as collaboration among stakeholders, researchers, and the public

Supplementary Information

For more information about this assessment, contact flowergarden@noaa.gov.