THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
DR. KEN BANKS, P.E.
BROWARD COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING & COMMUNITY RESILIENCE DIVISION
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
WHY ARE HEALTHY REEFS IMPORTANT?
Supports more than 6,000 different organisms
•
Including nearby coastal habitats
Jobs & Economy
•
61,000 jobs
•
$5.7 Billion in sales and income every year
Coastal Protection
•
Reefs dispel wave energy before it reaches shore
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA
THREATS TO SOUTHEAST FLORIDA REEFS
POOR FISHING PRACTICES
POOR WATER QUALITY
CLIMATE CHANGE
DIRECT HUMAN IMPACTS
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
WHAT IS A HEALTHY CORAL?
ZOOXANTHELLAE
ZOOXANTHELLAE
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
WHAT IS A HEALTHY CORAL?
ZOOXANTHELLAE - A YELLOWISH-BROWN
SYMBIOTIC DINOFLAGELLATE IN THE CORAL
CYTOPLASM
APPROX 1,000,000 CELLS/CM2
ZOOXANTHELLAE PROVIDE PHOTOSYNTHESIS PRODUCTS TO THE CORAL AND BENEFIT FROM N, P, AND CO2
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
CORAL BLEACHING
CORALS EXPEL THE ZOOX LIVING IN THEIR
TISSUES
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
CORAL BLEACHING
WHY?
IF THE RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PRODUCTION IS TOO HIGH, CORALS HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THE AMOUNT
OF ZOOXANTHELLAE IN THEIR TISSUES BY EXPELLING IT. WHEN CORALS ARE STRESSED, THEY MAY EXPEL MORE
ZOOXANTHELLAE THAN NECESSARY, AND LOSE COLOR.
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
CORAL BLEACHING
CAUSAL STRESSES:
• HIGH OR LOW TEMPERATURE (<60FO
• HIGH UV RADIATION
• HIGH TURBIDITY
• SEDIMENTATION
• NUTRIENTS?
MAYBE
• OTHER POLLUTANTS?
PROBABLY
>84FO)
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
CORAL DISEASE …… STRESSED CORALS ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISEASE
BACTERIAL BLEACHING DISEASE
LOSS OF ZOOX DUE TO TOXIN PRODUCED BY INTRACELLULAR BACTERIAL PATHOGEN. EXAMPLES, VIBRIO SHILOI AND V. PATOGONICA
UNKNOWN LOCALLY
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
CORAL DISEASES
BLACK BAND DISEASE
CORAL TISSUE DEGRADED BY PATHOGENIC MICROBIAL CONSORTIUM,
I.E., CYANOBACTERIA, SULFATE-REDUCING, AND SULFIDE-OXIDIZING
BACTERIA… AND PROBABLY OTHERS
COMMON LOCALLY
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
CORAL DISEASES
DARK SPOTS SYNDROME
NO KNOWN PATHOGEN; MAY RECOVER
COMMON LOCALLY
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
CORAL DISEASES
WHITE BAND DISEASE
• COMPLETE TISSUE LOSS IN BRANCHING CORALS
• NO KNOWN PATHOGEN BUT THERE IS A SHIFT FROM DOMINATION BY
PSEUDOMONAD BACTERIA IN THE MUCOUS LAYER TO VIBRIO
CARCHARIAE
COMMON LOCALLY
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
CORAL DISEASES
WHITE PLAGUE DISEASE
•
BACTERIAL PATHOGEN, AURANTIMONAS CORALICIDA
•
FATAL
•
AFFECTS 33 SPECIES
VERY COMMON LOCALLY
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
CORAL DISEASES
WHITE POX DISEASE
•
BACTERIAL PATHOGEN, SERRATIA MARCESCENS
•
SOURCE IS UNTREATED WASTEWATER
•
FATAL
•
ELKHORN CORAL
UNCOMMON LOCALLY
Coral Bleaching in SE Florida
Palm Beach County
2015
THE STATUS OF CORAL
HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA
CORAL BLEACHING IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Broward County
2015
•
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA IS IN ITS 3RD EL NINO YEAR
WITH THE WARMEST WATER TEMPERATURES
RECORDED IN HISTORY.
•
BLEACHING HAS BEEN OBSERVED ACROSS THE
ENTIRE FLORIDA REEF TRACT (INCLUDING THE KEYS).
•
Partially bleached (P. strigosa).
Credit: Nikole Ordway
Partially bleached (U. agaricites).
Credit: Nikole Ordway
Broward County
2016
Palm Beach County
2016
Paling (M. cavernosa). Credit: Marie
Dugan
Partially bleached (M. cavernosa).
Credit: Marie Dugan
SIGNIFICANT CORAL BLEACHING EVENTS IN 2014,
2015, AND NOW 2016.
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
2011
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
2012
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
2013
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
2014
THE STATUS OF CORAL HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
2015
Palm Beach County
2015
CORAL DISEASE OUTBREAK IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
•
CORAL SE DISEA1ST OBSERVED IN LATE FALL 2014 IN MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY.
•
DISEASE REPORTS CONTINUED THROUGH 2015 AND BEGAN
SPREADING NORTH TO BROWARD COUNTY AND EVEN INTO PALM BEACH COUNTY. •
THIS YEAR, THERE ARE REPORTS OF DISEASE THROUGHOUT THE
FLORIDA KEYS
THE STATUS OF CORAL
HEALTH IN SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA
Broward County
2015
October 2, 2015
Walker and Klug, 2015
October 29, 2015
Walker and Klug, 2015
Palm Beach County
2015
Broward County
2015
Dec. 11, 2015 (healthy)
Palm Beach County
2015
WHAT HAS CAUSED THIS OUTBREAK?
UNKNOWN ……. POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS:
Broward County
2015
•
BLEACHING STRESS ALLOWED FOR BACTERIAL/VIRAL INFECTION
•
POOR WATER QUALITY CONDITIONS — LAND-BASED SOURCES
•
RESULTS ARE RAPID TISSUE LOSS AND SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF CORAL
COVER
March 3, 2016 (diseased)
June 10, 2016 (mortality)
Photos: Ana Zangroni, FDEP
CONTACT:
KEN BANKS, PH.D., P.E.
[email protected]