Abstract:
Coral health and disease assessments were conducted along 2 consecutively placed 25-m transects, as part of Rapid Ecological Assessments conducted at 14 sites at Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Remote Island Areas during 22 March - 12 April 2008, aboard the NOAA Hi'ialakai Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise HI0803. Within an area of 1-3m on each side of both transect lines, each colony was inspected and every diseased/afflicted coral enumerated and identified to the lowest taxonomic level. For each affected coral the following information was recorded: colony size, type of affliction, area affected, percent live/dead, and severity of the affliction (mild = 1-10%, moderate = 11-25%, marked = 26-50%, severe = 51-75%, acute = 76-100%). Coral afflictions were classified into one of six general categories (following Willis et al., 2004) including: bleaching, tissue loss, black band disease, skeletal growth anomaly, predation, and other lesions. This latter category included algal overgrowth, as well as unidentified syndromes causing deterioration of scleractinian corals. Tissue samples of selected cases were procured for histopathological analyses. These data provide the basis for computing quantitative estimates of disease incidence and prevalence. Samples and photographs provide aid in further disease characterization and description. Histological tissue samples are traditionally fixed in a formaldehyde solution prior to preparation for processing and analysis.
Purpose:
Part of a long-term monitoring program at biennial intervals in which corals, algae, fish, and other macroinvertebrates are co-sampled along the same set of transect lines.
Supplemental_Information:
Maximum depth was 20 meters.
Coral disease parameters observed:
Disease/disorder: Alcyonarian necrotic disease, Algal infection, Barnacle infestation, Bleaching, Coralline fungal disease, Coralline lethal disease, Cyanophyte infection, Discoloration, Pink line syndrome, Skeletal growth anomaly, Sub-acute tissue loss, White syndrome.
Taxon Name: Crustose Coralline Algae, Favia sp, Favia stelligera, Favites sp, Hydnophora microconos, Leptastrea pruinosa, Leptastrea sp, Lobophyllia sp, Lobophytum sp, Montipora sp, Pavona duerdeni, Platygyra daedalea, Platygyra sp, Pocillopora meandrina, Porites lutea, Porites rus, Porites sp, Sinularia sp.
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: NCEI Geoportal Filter
Theme_Keyword: CoRIS_Metadata
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CRCP Project
Theme_Keyword:
Incidence and characterization of coral diseases in the U.S. Pacific Islands
Theme_Keyword: 1841
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: Marine Ecosystem
Theme_Keyword: Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP)
Theme_Keyword: Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA)
Theme_Keyword: Coral Reef Ecosystem
Theme_Keyword: Coral disease
Theme_Keyword: Pacific Remote Island Areas
Theme_Keyword: Palmyra Atoll
Theme_Keyword: HI0803
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Theme Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs
Theme_Keyword:
EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral reef ecology
Theme_Keyword:
EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral reef ecology > Coral cover
Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Diseases
Theme_Keyword:
EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment
Theme_Keyword:
EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Rapid assessment studies
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: Numeric Data Sets > Biology
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: biota
Theme_Keyword: 002
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: Pacific Remote Island Areas
Place_Keyword: Palmyra Atoll
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Place Thesaurus
Place_Keyword:
OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Line Islands > Palmyra Atoll (05N162W0001)
Place_Keyword:
COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Palmyra Atoll (05N162W0001)
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Region
Place_Keyword: PRIA
Please cite CRED when using the data. Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Bernardo Vargas Angel , Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Island Fisheries Sciences Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA