Sheridan C, Baele J M, Kushmaro A, Fréjaville Y, Eeckhaut I
Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics Lab, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Avenue du champ de Mars 6, 7000 Mons, Belgium.
Department of Geology and Applied Geology, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mons, Rue de Houdain 9, 7000 Mons, Belgium.
Mar Environ Res. 2014 Oct;101:44-51. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.08.003. Epub 2014 Aug 24.
Terrestrial runoff and sedimentation have been implicated in a variety of impacts on scleractinian corals. However, despite accumulating evidence, little work has been done to investigate their influence on coral disease development. This study examined the role that river runoff and the associated sedimentation could play in affecting the prevalence of the coral disease "white syndrome" in SW Madagascar. Corals from reefs affected by river discharge and terrestrial sediments were more affected by white syndrome than reefs located far from any source of terrestrial runoff. Terrestrial runoff-affected reefs also displayed a wider diversity of coral species affected by this disease. While much evidence has been pointing in the direction of indirect effects of such runoff on coral disease development, our data corroborates earlier suggestions that pathogens are present within the sediments. As such, sediments released on reefs through river discharge could act as reservoirs of coral pathogens.
陆地径流和沉积作用被认为对石珊瑚有多种影响。然而，尽管证据不断积累，但针对它们对珊瑚疾病发展影响的研究却很少。本研究调查了河流径流及相关沉积作用在影响马达加斯加西南部珊瑚疾病“白色综合征”患病率方面可能发挥的作用。受河流排放和陆地沉积物影响的珊瑚礁中的珊瑚，比远离任何陆地径流源的珊瑚礁更容易受到白色综合征的影响。受陆地径流影响的珊瑚礁中，受这种疾病影响的珊瑚种类也更多样化。虽然有很多证据表明这种径流对珊瑚疾病发展有间接影响，但我们的数据证实了早期的观点，即沉积物中存在病原体。因此，通过河流排放释放到珊瑚礁上的沉积物可能成为珊瑚病原体的储存库。
