Thinesh T, Mathews G, Diraviya Raj K, Edward J K P
Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute, 44 Beach Road, Tuticorin 628 001, Tamil Nadu, India.
Dis Aquat Organ. 2017 Sep 20;126(1):63-70. doi: 10.3354/dao03155.
Acropora white syndrome (AWS) and Terpios sponge overgrowth (TSO) are serious threats to coral communities in various regions; however, information on these 2 lesions in the Indian Ocean is much more limited than in the Indo-Pacific. The present study revealed the impact of these lesions on the Palk Bay reef, India, and covered an area of 7 km2. In total, 1930 colonies were permanently monitored to assess incidences of AWS and TSO and consequent mortality for a period of 1 yr. TSO affected 5 coral genera and caused 20.7% mortality; overall prevalence increased from 1.3% (n = 25) to 25.5% (n = 492). In contrast, AWS only affected Acropora colonies and caused a mortality of 8%; overall prevalence increased from 0.9% (n = 17) to 12.9% (n = 249). Year-round monitoring revealed an increasing trend of both AWS and TSO, followed by temperature rise. These results add to the known geographic distribution of these coral diseases and reveal the impacts of AWS and TSO on coral reefs in the Indian Ocean.
鹿角珊瑚白综合征（AWS）和特氏海绵过度生长（TSO）对各地区的珊瑚群落构成严重威胁；然而，关于印度洋这两种病害的信息比印度-太平洋地区要有限得多。本研究揭示了这些病害对印度帕尔卡湾珊瑚礁的影响，该区域面积达7平方千米。总共对1930个珊瑚群体进行了为期1年的长期监测，以评估AWS和TSO的发病率及由此导致的死亡率。TSO影响了5个珊瑚属，造成了20.7%的死亡率；总体患病率从1.3%（n = 25）增至25.5%（n = 492）。相比之下，AWS仅影响鹿角珊瑚群体，造成了8%的死亡率；总体患病率从0.9%（n = 17）增至12.9%（n = 249）。全年监测显示，AWS和TSO均呈上升趋势，随后温度也升高。这些结果丰富了这些珊瑚病害已知的地理分布情况，并揭示了AWS和TSO对印度洋珊瑚礁的影响。
