Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

White-band disease and the changing face of Caribbean coral reefs

  • Chapter
The Ecology and Etiology of Newly Emerging Marine Diseases

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 159))

Abstract

In recent decades, the cover of fleshy macroalgae has increased and coral cover has decreased on most Caribbean reefs. Coral mortality precipitated this transition, and the accumulation of macroalgal biomass has been enhanced by decreased herbivory and increased nutrient input. Populations of Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral) and A. cervicornis (staghorn coral), two of the most important framework-building species, have died throughout the Caribbean, substantially reducing coral cover and providing substratum for algal growth. Hurricanes have devastated local populations of Acropora spp. over the past 20–25 years, but white-band disease, a putative bacterial syndrome specific to the genus Acropora, has been a more significant source of mortality over large areas of the Caribbean region.

Paleontological data suggest that the regional Acropora kill is without precedent in the late Holocene. In Belize, A. cervicornis was the primary ecological and geological constituent of reefs in the central shelf lagoon until the mid-1980s. After constructing reef framework for thousands of years, A. cervicornis was virtually eliminated from the area over a ten-year period. Evidence from other parts of the Caribbean supports the hypothesis of continuous Holocene accumulation and recent mass mortality of Acropora spp. Prospects are poor for the rapid recovery of A. cervicornis, because its reproductive strategy emphasizes asexual fragmentation at the expense of dispersive sexual reproduction. A. palmata also relies on fragmentation, but this species has a higher rate of sexual recruitment than A. cervicornis If the Acropora spp. do not recover, macroalgae will continue to dominate Caribbean reefs, accompanied by increased abundances of brooding corals, particularly Agaricia spp. and Porites spp. The outbreak of white-band disease has been coincident with increased human activity, and the possibility of a causal connection should be further investigated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adey, W. H., 1978. Coral reef morphogenesis: a multidimensional model. Science 202: 831–837.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Antonius, A., 1981. The ‘band’ diseases in coral reefs. Proc. 4th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 2: 6–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antonius, A., 1995. Pathologic syndromes on reef corals: a review. Publ. serv. géol. Lux. 29: 161-169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antonius, A. and B. Riegl, 1997. A possible link between coral diseases and a corallivorous snail (Drupella cornus) outbreak in the Red Sea. Atoll Res. Bull. 447: 1-9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aronson, R. B. and W. F. Precht, 1997. Stasis, biological disturbance, and community structure of a Holocene coral reef. Paleobiology 23: 326–346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aronson, R. B. and W. F. Precht, 2000. Herbivory and algal dynamics on the coral reef at Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Limnol. Oceanogr. 45: 251-255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aronson, R. B. and W. F. Precht, 2001. Evolutionary paleoecology of Caribbean coral reefs. In Allmon, W. D. and D. J. Bottjer (eds), Evolutionary Paleoecology: The Ecological Context of Macro-evolutionary Change. Columbia University Press, New York: 171–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aronson, R. B., W. F. Precht and I. G. Macintyre, 1998. Extrinsic control of species replacement on a Holocene reef in Belize: the role of coral disease. Coral Reefs 17: 223–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aronson, R. B., P. J. Edmunds, W. F. Precht, D. W. Swanson and D. R. Levitan, 1994. Large-scale, long-term monitoring of Caribbean coral reefs: simple, quick, inexpensive techniques. Atoll Res. Bull. 421: 1-19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bak, R. P. M., 1983. Aspects of community organization in Caribbean stony corals. In Ogden, J. C. and E. H. Gladfelter (eds), Coral Reefs, Seagrass Beds and Mangroves: Their Interaction in the Coastal Zones of the Caribbean. UNESCO Reports in Marine Science 23, UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Technology for Latin America and the Caribbean, Montivideo: 51–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bak, R. P. M. and M. S. Engel, 1979. Distribution, abundance and survival of juvenile hermatypic corals (Scleractinia) and the importance of life history strategies in the parent coral community. Mar. Biol. 54: 341-352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bak, R. P. M. and E. H. Meesters, 1999. Population structure as a response of coral communities to global change. Am. Zool. 39: 56-65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ball, M. M., E. A. Shinn and K. W. Stockman, 1967. The geologic effects of Hurricane Donna in South Florida. J. Geol. 75: 583597.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, P. R. F. and T. Tomascik, 1994. The demise of the hinging coral reefs of Barbados and of regions in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon — impacts of eutrophication. In Ginsburg, R. N. (ed.), Proceedings of the Colloquium on Global Aspects of Coral Reefs: Health, Hazards and History, 1993. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami: 319–325.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanchon, P., 1997. Architectural variation in submerged shelf-edge reefs: the hurricane control hypothesis. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 547–554.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanchon, P. and W. Shaw, 1995. Reef drowning during the last de-glaciation: evidence for catastrophic sea-level rise and ice-sheet collapse. Geology 23: 4–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchon, R, B. Jones and W. Kalbfleisch, 1997. Anatomy of a fringing reef around Grand Cayman: storm rubble, not coral framework. J. sed. Res. 67: 1-16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brazeau, D. A., D. F. Gleason and M. E. Morgan, 1998. Self-fertilization in brooding hermaphroditic Caribbean corals: evidence from molecular studies. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 231: 225-238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, B. E., 1997. Disturbances to reefs in recent times. In Birke-land, C. (ed.), Life and Death of Coral Reefs. Chapman and Hall, New York: 354–379.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bruckner, R. J., A. W. Bruckner and E. H. Williams Jr., 1997. Life history strategies of Coralliophila abbreviate Lamarck (Gastropoda: Coralliophilidae) on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 627–632.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bythell, J. and C. Sheppard, 1993. Mass mortality of Caribbean shallow corals. Mar. Poll. Bull. 26: 296-297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bythell, J. C., E. H. Gladfelter and M. Bythell, 1993. Chronic and catastrophic natural mortality of three common Caribbean reef corals. Coral Reefs 12: 143–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bythell, J. C., E. H. Gladfelter, W. B. Gladfelter, K. E. French and Z. Hillis, 1989. Buck Island Reef National Monument — changes in modern reef community structure since 1976. In Hubbard, D. K. (ed.), Terrestrial and Marine Geology of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. West Indies Lab. Spec. Pub. 8, Fairleigh Dickinson University, St. Croix: 145–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlon, D. B., 1999. The evolution of mating systems in tropical reef corals. Trends Ecol. Evol. 14: 491-495.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, J. H., 1978. Diversity in tropical rain forests and coral reefs. Science 199: 1302–1310.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Connell, J. H., 1997. Disturbance and recovery of coral assemblages. Coral Reefs 16: S 101-S 1 13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cortés, J. 1994. A reef under siltation stress: a decade of degradation. In Ginsburg, R. N. (ed.). Proceedings of the Colloquium on Global Aspects of Coral Reefs: Health, Hazards and History, 1993. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami: 240–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curran. H. A. and B. White. 1984. Field guide to the Cockburn Town fossil coral reef, San Salvador, Bahamas. In Teeter, J. W. (ed.), Proceedings of the Second Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas. Bahamian Field Station, College Center of the Finger Lakes, San Salvador, Bahamas: 71–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, G. E., 1982. A century of natural change in coral distribution at the Dry Tortugas: a comparison of reef maps from 1881 and 1976. Bull. mar. Sci. 32: 608-623.

    Google Scholar 

  • Done, T. J., 1992. Constancy and change in some Great Barrier Reef coral communities: 1980-1990. Am. Zool. 32: 655-662.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edinger, E. N. and M. J. Risk. 1995. Preferential survivorship of brooding corals in a regional extinction. Paleobiology 21: 200–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmunds, P. J., 1991. Extent and effect of Black Band Disease on a Caribbean reef. Coral Reefs 10: 161–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edmunds, P. J. and J. F. Bruno, 1996. The importance of sampling scale in ecology: kilometer-wide variation in coral reef communities. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 143: 165-171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmunds, P. J., R. B. Aronson, D. W. Swanson, D. R. Levitan and W. F. Precht, 1998. Photographic versus visual census techniques for the quantification of juvenile corals. Bull. mar. Sci. 62: 437-446.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fadlallah, Y. H., 1983. Sexual reproduction, development and larval biology in scleractinian corals: a review. Coral Reefs 2: 129–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairbanks, R. G.. 1989. A 17 000-year glacio-eustatic sea level record: influence of glacial melting rates on the Younger Dryas event and deep-ocean circulation. Nature 342: 637–642.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geiser, D. M., J. W. Taylor, K. B. Ritchie and G. W. Smith, 1998. Cause of sea fan death in the West Indies. Nature 394: 137–138.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geister, J., 1977. The influence of wave exposure on the ecological zonation of Caribbean coral reefs. Proc. 3rd Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 23–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gladfelter, W. B., 1982. White band disease in Acropora palmata: implications for the structure and growth of shallow reefs. Bull. mar. Sci. 32: 639-643.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goreau, T. F., 1959. The ecology of Jamaican coral reefs. I. Species composition and zonation. Ecology 40: 67-90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goreau, T. F. and N. I. Goreau, 1973. The ecology of Jamaican coral reefs. II. Geomorphology, zonation and sedimentary phases. Bull. mar. Sci. 23: 399-464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goreau, T. F. and J. W. Wells, 1967. The shallow water Scleractinia of Jamaica: revised list of species and their vertical distribution range. Bull mar. Sci. 17: 442-453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenstein, B. J. and H. A. Moffat, 1996. Comparative taphonomy of modern and Pleistocene corals, San Salvador. Bahamas. Palaios 11: 57-63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenstein, B. J., H. A. Curran and J. M. Pandolfi, 1998. Shifting ecological baselines and the demise of Acropora cervicornis in the Western Atlantic and Caribbean Province: a Pleistocene perspective. Coral Reefs 17: 249–261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagman, D. K., S. R. Gittings and P. D. Vize, 1998. Fertilization in broadcast-spawning corals of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Gulf of Mexico Science 16: 180–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, P. L. and C. C. Wallace, 1990. Reproduction, dispersal and recruitment of scleractinian corals. In Dubinsky, Z. (ed.), Ecosystems of the World 25: Coral Reefs. Elsevier, Amsterdam: 133–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvell, C. D., K. Kim, J. M. Burkholder. R. R. Colwell, P. R. Epstein, D. J. Grimes, E. E. Hofmann, E. K. Lipp, A. D. M. E. Osterhaus, R. M. Overstreet, J. W. Porter, G. W. Smith and G. R. Vastra, 1999. Emerging marine diseases — climate links and anthropogenic factors. Science 285: 1505–1510.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, M. E., 1984. Patterns of fish and urchin grazing on Caribbean coral reefs: are previous results typical? Ecology 65: 446-454. Highsmith. R. C., 1982. Reproduction by fragmentation in corals. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 7: 207-226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Highsmith, R. C., A. C. Riggs and C. M. D’Antonio, 1980. Survival of hurricane-generated coral fragments and a disturbance model of reef calcification/growth rates. Oecologia 46: 322–329.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubbard, D. K., 1988. Controls of modern and fossil reef development: common ground for biological and geological research. Proc. 6th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 243–252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubbard, D. K. 1989. Modern carbonate environments of St. Croix and the Caribbean: a general overview. In Hubbard, D. K. (ed.), Terrestrial and Marine Geology of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. West Indies Lab. Spec. Pub. 8, Fairleigh Dickinson University St. Croix: 85–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubbard, D.K., E. H. Gladfelter and J. C. Bythell, 1994. Comparison of biological and geological perspectives of coral-reef community structure at Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. In Ginsburg, R. N. (ed.), Proceedings of the Colloquium on Global Aspects of Coral Reefs: Health, Hazards and History, 1993. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami: 201–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubbard, D. K., K. M. Parsons, J. C. Bythell and N. D. Walker, 1991. The effects of Hurricane Hugo on the reefs and associated environments of St. Croix. U.S. Virgin Islands. J. coast Res., Spec. Iss. 8: 33-48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, T. P., 1985. Life histories and population dynamics of early successional corals. Proc. 5th Int. Coral Reef Congr. 4: 101-106. Hughes, T. P., 1989. Community structure and diversity of coral reefs: the role of history. Ecology 70: 275–279.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, T. P., 1994. Catastrophes, phase shifts and large-scale degradation of a Caribbean coral reef. Science 265: 1547–1551.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, T. P., D. C. Reed and M.-J. Boyle, 1987. Herbivory on coral reefs: community structure following mass mortalities of sea urchins. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 113: 39-59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaap. W. C., 1998. Boom-bust cycles in Acropora. Reef Encounter 23: 12–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaap, W. C. and F. J. Sargent, 1994. The status of the remnant population of Acropora palmata (Lamarck, 1816) at Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, with a discussion of possible causes of changes since 1881. In Ginsburg, R. N. (ed.), Proceedings of the Colloquium on Global Aspects of Coral Reefs: Health, Hazards and History, 1993. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami: 101–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J. B. C., 1991. Adaptation and diversity of reef corals. BioScience 41: 475–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J. B. C.. 1992. Pleistocene perspectives of coral reef community structure. Am. Zool. 32: 719-731.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J. B. C., 1994. Community unity? Science 264: 1412 1413.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J. B. C. and A. F. Budd. 1996. Evolution and environment: introduction and overview. In Jackson, J. B. C., A. F. Budd and A. G. Coates (eds), Evolution and Environment in Tropical America. University of Chicago Press. Chicago: 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, K. G., A. F. Budd and T. A. Stemann, 1995. Extinction selectivity and ecology of Neogene Caribbean reef corals. Paleobiology 21: 52–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan-Dahlgren, E., 1992. Recolonization patterns of Acropora palmata in a marginal environment. Bull. mar. Sci. 51: 104-117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, L.. 1983. Effects of Hurricane Allen on reef fish assemblages near Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Coral Reefs 2: 43-47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleypas, J. A., R. W. Buddemeier, D. Archer, J.-P. Gattuso, C. Langdon and B. N. Opdyke, 1999. Geochemical consequences of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide on coral reefs. Science 284: 118–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knowlton, N., 1992. Thresholds and multiple stable states in coral reef community dynamics. Am. Zool. 32: 674-682.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knowlton, N., J. C. Lang and B. D. Keller, 1990. Case study of natural population collapse: post-hurricane predation on Jamaican staghorn corals. Smithsonian Contrib. mar. Sci. 31: 1-25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knowlton, N., J. L. Maté, H. M. Guzmàn, R. Rowan and J. Jara. 1997. Direct evidence for reproductive isolation among the three species of the Montastraea annuloris complex in Central America (Panamà and Honduras). Mar. Biol. 127: 705-711.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kojis, B. L. and N. J. Quinn, 1994. Biological limits to Caribbean reef recovery: a comparison with western South Pacific reefs. In Ginsburg, R. N. (ed.), Proceedings of the Colloquium on Global Aspects of Coral Reefs: Health, Hazards and History, 1993. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami: 353–359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kushmaro, A., Y. Loya, M. Fine and E. Rosenberg, 1996. Bacterial infection and coral bleaching. Nature 380: 396.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lapointe, B. E., 1997. Nutrient thresholds for bottom-up control of macroalgal blooms on coral reefs in Jamaica and southeast Florida. Limnol. Oceanogr. 42: 1119-1131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lapointe, B. E.. M. M. Littler and D. S. Littler, 1987. A comparison of nutrient-limited productivity in macroalgae from a Caribbean barrier reef and from a mangrove system. Aquat. Bot. 28: 243255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lapointe, B. E., M. M. Littler and D. S. Littler, 1997. Macroalgal overgrowth of fringing coral reefs at Discovery Bay, Jamaica: bottom-up versus top-down control. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 927–932.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lessios, H. A., 1988. Mass mortality of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean: what have we learned? Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 19: 371-393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lessios, H. A., D. R. Robertson and J. D. Cubit, 1984. Spread of Diadema mass mortality through the Caribbean. Science 226: 335–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. B., 1984. The Acropora inheritance: a reinterpretation of the development of fringing reefs in Barbados, West Indies. Coral Reefs 3: 117-122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, S. M., 1986. The role of herbivorous fishes in the organization of a Caribbean reef community. Ecol. Monogr. 56: 183-200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, S. M. and P. C. Wainwright, 1985. Herbivore abundance and grazing intensity on a Caribbean coral reef. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 87: 215-228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liddell, W. D. and S. L. Ohlhorst, 1993. Ten years of disturbance and change on a Jamaican fringing reef. Proc. 7th Int. Coral Reef Symp. I: 144–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lighty, R. G., 1977. Relict shelf-edge Holocene coral reef: southeast coast of Florida. Proc. 3rd Int. Coral Reef Symp. 2: 216–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lighty, R. G., I. G. Macintyre and R. Stuckenrath, 1982. Acropora palmata reef framework: a reliable indication of sea level in the western Atlantic for the past 10 000 years. Coral Reefs I: 125130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Littler, M. M. and D. S. Littler, 1985. Factors controlling relative dominance of primary producers on biotic reefs. Proc. 5th Int. Coral Reef Congr. 4: 35–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Littler, M. M. and D. S. Littler, 1995. Impact of CLOD pathogen on Pacific coral reefs. Science 267: 1356–1360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Littler, M. M., P. R. Taylor, D. S. Littler, R. H. Sims and J. N. Norris, 1987. Dominant macrophyte standing stocks, productivity and community structure on a Belizean barrier reef. Atoll Res. Bull. 302: 1-24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macintyre, I. G., 1988. Modern coral reefs of western Atlantic: new geological perspective. AAPG Bull. 72: 1360–1369.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macintyre, I. G. and R. B. Aronson, 1997. Field guidebook to the reefs of Belize. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 203–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macintyre, I. G. and J. F. Marshall, 1988. Submarine lithification in coral reefs: some facts and misconceptions. Proc. 6th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 263–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macintyre, I. G., R. B. Burke and R. Stuckenrath, 1977. Thickest recorded Holocene reef section, Isla Pérez core hole, Alacran Reef, Mexico. Geology 5: 749-754.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macintyre, I. G., R. B. Burke and R. Stuckenrath, 1981. Core holes in the outer fore reef off Carrie Bow Cay, Belize: a key to the Holocene history of the Belizean barrier reef complex. Proc. 4th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 567–574.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macintyre, I. G., M. M. Littler and D. S. Littler, 1995. Holocene history of Tobacco Range, Belize, Central America. Atoll Res. Bull. 430: 1-18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macintyre, I. G., W. F. Precht and R. B. Aronson, 2000. Origin of the Pelican Cays ponds, Belize. Atoll Res. Bull. 466: 1-12.

    Google Scholar 

  • McClanahan, T. R. and N. A. Muthiga, 1998. An ecological shift among patch reefs of Glovers Reef Atoll, Belize over 25 years. Envir. Cons. 25: 122-130.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCook, L. J., 1999. Macroalgae, nutrients and phase shifts on coral reefs: scientific and management consequences for the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 18: 357–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mesolella, K. J., 1967. Zonation of uplifted Pleistocene coral reefs on Barbados, West Indies. Science 156: 638-640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neumann, A. C. and I. Macintyre, 1985. Reef response to sea level rise: keep-up, catch-up or give-up. Proc. 5th Int. Coral Reef Congr. 3: 105–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neumann, C. J., B. R. Jarvinen, A. C. Pike and J. D. Elms, 1987. Tropical cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean, 1871-1986, 3rd revision. NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Asheville (N. C. ): 186 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters, E. C., 1993. Diseases of other invertebrate phyla: Porifera, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Annelida, Echinodermata. In Couch, J. A. and J. W. Fournie (eds), Pathobiology of Marine and Estuarine Organisms. CRC Press, Boca Raton: 393–449.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters, E. C., 1997. Diseases of coral-reef organisms. In Birkeland, C. (ed.), Life and Death of Coral Reefs. Chapman and Hall, New York: 114–139.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Porter, J. W., J. F. Battey and J. G. Smith, 1982. Perturbation and change in coral reef communities. Proc natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79: 1678-1681.

    Google Scholar 

  • Precht, W. F., 1993. Holocene coral patch reef ecology and sedimentary architecture, northern Belize, Central America. Palaios 8: 499-503.

    Google Scholar 

  • Purser, B. H. and J. H. Schroeder, 1986. The diagenesis of reefs: a brief review of our present understanding. In Schroeder, J. H. and B. H. Purser (eds), Reef Diagenesis. Springer-Verlag, Berlin: 424–446.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, L. L., 1998. Coral diseases: what is really known? Trends Ecol. Evol. 13: 438–443.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, L. L., W. M. Goldberg, K. G. Kuta, R. B. Aronson, G. W. Smith, K. B. Ritchie, J. C. Halas, J. S. Feingold and S. L. Miller, 1998. Florida’s mystery coral killer identified. Nature 392: 557–558.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richmond, R. H., 1987. Energetics, competency, and long-distance dispersal of planula larvae of the coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mar. Biol. 93: 527-533.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richmond, R. H. and C. L. Hunter, 1990. Reproduction and recruitment of corals: comparisons among the Caribbean, the Tropical Pacific, and the Red Sea. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 60: 185-203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, C. M., 1997. Connectivity and management of Caribbean coral reefs. Science 278: 1454–1457.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, C. S., 1990. Responses of coral reefs and reef organisms to sedimentation. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 62: 185-202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, C. S., 1993a. Hurricanes and coral reefs: the intermediate disturbance hypothesis revisited. Coral Reefs 12: 127–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, C. S.. 1993b. A matter of scale: damage from Hurricane Hugo (1989) to U.S. Virgin Islands reefs at the colony, community, and whole reef level. Proc. 7th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 127–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, C. S., H. C. Fitz III, M. Gilnack, J. Beets and J. Hardin, 1984. Scleractinian coral recruitment patterns at Salt River Submarine Canyon. St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Coral Reefs 3: 69-76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosesmyth, M. C.. 1984. Growth and survival of sexually produced Acropora recruits: a post-hurricane study at Discovery Bay. In Glynn, P. W.. P. K. Swart and A. M. Szmant-Froelich (eds), Advances in Reef Science. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. University of Miami, Miami: 105–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rützler, K. and I. G. Macintyre, 1982. The habitat distribution and community structure of the barrier reef complex at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. In Rützler, K. and I. G. Macintyre (eds), The Atlantic Barrier Reef Ecosystem at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. I. Structure and Communities. Smithsonian Contrib. mar. Sci. 12, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.: 9–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rützler, K.. D. L. Santavy and A. Antonius, 1983. The Black Band Disease of Atlantic reef corals. III. Distribution, ecology, and development. P. S. Z. N. I: mar. Ecol. 4: 329-358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rylaarsdam, K. W., 1983. Life histories and abundance patterns of colonial corals on Jamaican reefs. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 13: 249260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sammarco, P. W., 1982. Echinoid grazing as a structuring force in coral communities: whole reef manipulations. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 61: 31-55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sammarco, P. W., 1985. The Great Barrier Reef vs. the Caribbean: comparisons of grazers, coral recruitment patterns and reef recovery. Proc. 5th Int. Coral Reef Congr., Tahiti 4: 391-397.

    Google Scholar 

  • Santavy, D. L. and E. C. Peters, 1997. Microbial pests: coral diseases in the western Atlantic. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 607612.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinn, E. A., 1966. Coral growth rate, an environmental indicator. J. Paleontol. 40: 233–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinn, E. A., J. H. Hudson, D. M. Robbin and B. Lidz, 1981. Spurs and grooves revisited: construction versus erosion, Looe Key Reef, Florida. Proc. 4th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 475–483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinn, E. A., R. B. Halley, J. H. Hudson, B. Lidz and D. M. Rabbin, 1979. Three-dimensional aspects of Belize patch reefs (abstract). AAPG Bull. 63: 528.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinn, E. A., B. H. Lidz, R. B. Halley, J. H. Hudson and J. L. Kindinger, 1989. Reefs of Florida and the Dry Tortugas (Field Trip Guidebook T176, 28th International Geological Congress). American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.: 53 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, G. W., L. D. Ives, I. A. Nagelkerken and K. B. Ritchie, 1996. Caribbean sea-fan mortalities. Nature 383: 487.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. R., 1992. Patterns of coral recruitment and post-settlement mortality on Bermuda’s reefs: comparison to Caribbean and Pacific reefs. Am. Zool. 32: 663-673.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stemann, T. A. and K. G. Johnson, 1995. Ecologic stability and spatial continuity in a Holocene reef, Lago Enriquillo, Dominican Republic (abstract). Geol. Soc. Am. Ann. Mtg. Abst. Prog. 27: A166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steneck, R. S., 1994. Is herbivore loss more damaging to reefs than hurricanes? Case studies from two Caribbean reef systems (1978-1988). In Ginsburg, R. N. (ed.), Proceedings of the Colloquium on Global Aspects of Coral Reefs: Health, Hazards and History, 1993. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami: 220–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoddart, D. R., 1963. Effects of Hurricane Hattie on the British Honduras reefs and cays, October 30-31, 1961. Atoll Res. Bull. 95: 1-142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoddart, D. R., 1969. Post-hurricane changes on the British Honduras reefs and cays: re-survey of 1965. Atoll Res. Bull. 131: 1-25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoddart, D. R., 1974. Post-hurricane changes on the British Honduras reefs: re-survey of 1972. Proc. 2nd Int. Coral Reef Symp. 2: 473–483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szmant, A. M., 1986. Reproductive ecology of Caribbean reef corals. Coral Reefs 5: 43–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szmant, A. M., 1997. Nutrient effects on coral reefs: a hypothesis on the importance of topographic and trophic complexity to reef nutrient dynamics. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 2: 1527–1532.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Szmant, A. M., E. Weil, M. W. Miller and D. E. Colon, 1997. Hybridization within the species complex of the scleractinian coral Montastraea annularis. Mar. Biol. 129: 561-572.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szmant-Froelich, A., M. Ruetter and L. Riggs, 1985. Sexual reproduction of Faria fragum (Esper): lunar patterns of gametogenesis, embryogenesis and planulation in Puerto Rico. Bull. mar. Sci. 37: 880-892.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, F. W., P. Mann, S. Valastro Jr. and K. Burke, 1985. Stratigraphy and radiocarbon chronology of a subaerially exposed Holocene coral reef, Dominican Republic. J. Geol. 93: 311-332.

    Google Scholar 

  • Treml, E., M. Colgan and M. Keevican, 1997. Hurricane disturbance and coral reef development: a geographic information system (GIS) analysis of 501 years of hurricane data from the Lesser Antilles. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 1: 541–546.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tunnicliffe, V., 1981. Breakage and propagation of the stony coral Acropora cervicornis. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78: 24272431.

    Google Scholar 

  • Umar. M. J., L. J. McCook and I. R. Price, 1998. Effects of sediment deposition on the seaweed Sargassum on a fringing coral reef. Coral Reefs 17: 169–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, M. P. and D. A. Goddard, 1977. Man’s impact on coastal reefs — an example from Venezuela. In Frost, S. H., M. P. Weiss and J. B. Saunders (eds), Reefs and Related Carbonates — Ecology and Sedimentology. AAPG Stud. Geol. 4, Tulsa: 111–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westphall, M. J., 1986. Anatomy and history of a ringed-reef complex, Belize, Central America. M.S. thesis, University of Miami, Coral Gables: 135 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westphall, M. J. and R. N. Ginsburg, 1984. Substrate control and taphonomy of Recent (Holocene) lagoon reefs from Belize, Central America. In Glynn, P. W., P. K. Swart and A. M. SzmantFroelich (eds), Advances in Reef Science. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami: 135–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson, C. (ed.), 2000. Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Cape Ferguson and Dampier: 363 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodley, J. D., 1989. The effects of Hurricane Gilbert on coral reefs at Discovery Bay. In Bacon, P. R. (ed.), Assessment of the Economic Impacts of Hurricane Gilbert on Coastal and Mar-ine Resources in Jamaica. UNEP Regional Seas Rep. Stud. 110, United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi: 7 1–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodley, J. D., 1992. The incidence of hurricanes on the north coast of Jamaica since 1870: are the classic reef descriptions atypical? Hydrobiologia 247: 133–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodley, J. D., K. De Meyer, P. Bush, G. Ebanks-Petrie, J. GarzbnFerreira, E. Klein, L. P. J. J. Pors and C. M. Wilson, 1997. Status of coral reefs in the south central Caribbean. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. I: 357–362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodley, J. D., E. A. Chornesky, P. A. Clifford. J. B. C. Jackson, L. S. Kaufman, N. Knowlton, J. C. Lang. M. R. Pearson. J. W. Porter, M. C. Rooney, K. W. Rylaarsdam, V. J. Tunnicliffe, C. M. Wahle, J. L. Wulff, A. S. G. Curtis. M. D. Dallmeyer, B. R. Jupp, M. A. R. Koehl, J. Neigel and E. M. Sides. 1981. Hurricane Allen’s impact on Jamaican coral reefs. Science 214: 749–755

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Boulevard, Dauphin Island, AL, 36528, USA

    Richard B. Aronson

  2. Department of Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA

    Richard B. Aronson

  3. PBS&J, 2001 Northwest 107th Avenue, Miami, FL, 33172, USA

    William F. Precht

Authors
  1. Richard B. Aronson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. William F. Precht
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, USA

    James W. Porter

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Aronson, R.B., Precht, W.F. (2001). White-band disease and the changing face of Caribbean coral reefs. In: Porter, J.W. (eds) The Ecology and Etiology of Newly Emerging Marine Diseases. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 159. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3284-0_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3284-0_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5930-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-3284-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation