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Dynamics of Black Band Disease in a Diploria strigosa population subjected to annual upwelling on the northeastern coast of Venezuela

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Abstract

Temporal variability of Black Band Disease (BBD) prevalence, incidence, recurrence, recovery and virulence was estimated in a Diploria strigosa population from an upwelling zone of Venezuela, for 1 year between August 2004 and August 2005. The sampling spanned both upwelling and non-upwelling seasons, and included three samplings, roughly 60 days apart, within each season. The negative effects of BBD epizootiology in the sampling population (El Mercado reef) were positively correlated with sea surface temperature (taken as an upwelling estimator). Disease prevalence, incidence and recurrence decreased significantly during upwelling, and the recovery rate increased. Contrary to expectations, tissue mortality did not decrease significantly during the upwelling season, remaining at 1.2 ± 0.7 mm day−1. BBD prevalence, and the ensuing rates of tissue mortality were higher than values previously reported for other Caribbean reefs, even during upwelling episodes, suggesting that nutrient enrichment of the local waters by upwelling counteracts the expected reductions of the disease prevalence and virulence due to the lower temperature. Colonies which had previously been infected with BBD were up to six times more susceptible to new infections than those which were not infected during the preceding 7 months, suggesting that the infected colonies never healed completely. The high variability between tissue mortality values among coral colonies also suggests that overall host health-status may alter susceptibility to BBD infections.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Universidad de Oriente at Margarita Island for support of all field activities. We also thank Alexis and Daniel Ancieta for their field work, and K. Flynn, D. Debrot, F. Pisani, J. J. Cruz, L M. Marquez, J. Bruno, P. Zanders, A. Zubillaga and two anonymous reviewers whose valuable comments improved this manuscript.

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Correspondence to S. Rodríguez.

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Communicated by Ecology Editor P.J. Mumby.

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Rodríguez, S., Cróquer, A. Dynamics of Black Band Disease in a Diploria strigosa population subjected to annual upwelling on the northeastern coast of Venezuela. Coral Reefs 27, 381–388 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-007-0341-8

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