title: Macroalgae has no effect on the severity and dynamics of Caribbean yellow band disease.
abstract: By removing herbivores and promoting increases in macroalgae, overfishing is thought to indirectly cause coral disease and mortality. We performed three field manipulations to test the general hypothesis that overfishing and the subsequent alteration of coral reef trophic dynamics are a cause of coral epizootics. Specifically, we asked whether the presence of macroalgae can influence within- and among-colony spread rates of Caribbean Yellow Band Disease in Montastraea faveolata. Macroalgae were placed next to infected and healthy, adult and small coral colonies to measure effects on disease spread rate, coral growth and coral survival. Surprisingly, the addition of macroalgae did not affect disease severity or coral fitness. Our results indicate that macroalgae have no effect on the severity and dynamics of Caribbean Yellow Band Disease and that fisheries management alone will not mitigate the effects of this important epizootic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vu
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Smelick
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Sarah C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weil
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Whitehead
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bruno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000254:growth & development*; D017691:Caribbean Region; D017753:Ecosystem; D056890:Eukaryota; D011157:Population Dynamics