Etiology and Distribution of Coral Diseases and Pesticide, Herbicide and Heavy Metals in Diseased Corals

Goldberg, W.; Makemson, J.

This proposal highlights a two part study that looks into coral disease and bleaching and attempts to relate it to pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals. Certain reef corals of the Florida Keys are showing signs of disease. The elkhorn coral Acropora palmata appears to be particularly susceptible to what 1s commonly called white spot or white band disease. This syndrome is characterized by zones of dead tissue (the spots) that coalesce and spread over the coral, killing it within a short period of time. The southern end of Biscayne National Park has numerous colonies of dead elkhorn presumably killed by this disease. We propose to survey this reef area to determine the extent of diseased corals. The disease process is apparently mediated by bacteria although which type is unknown. We propose to isolate and identify the causative organism. An additional question is whether this disease is natural or induced by conditions relating to water quality. We propose to examine diseased and undiseased elkhorn coral tissue for the presence of five different heavy metals as well as common herbicides and pesticides that are flushed onto the reef from canal effluent. The work proposed here will therefore serve to quantify the disease, characterize the causative agent and determine if the disease is related to chemical pollution.