title: Linking sewage pollution and water quality to spatial patterns of Porites lobata growth anomalies in Puako, Hawaii.
abstract: Sewage pollution threatens the health of coastal populations and ecosystems, including coral reefs. We investigated spatial patterns of sewage pollution in Puako, Hawaii using enterococci concentrations and δ(15)N Ulva fasciata macroalgal bioassays to assess relationships with the coral disease Porites lobata growth anomalies (PGAs). PGA severity and enterococci concentrations were high, spatially variable, and positively related. Bioassay algal δ(15)N showed low sewage pollution at the reef edge while high values of resident algae indicated sewage pollution nearshore. Neither δ(15)N metric predicted PGA measures, though bioassay δ(15)N was negatively related to coral cover. Furthermore, PGA prevalence was much higher than previously recorded in Hawaii and the greater Indo-Pacific, highlighting Puako as an area of concern. Although further work is needed to resolve the relationship between sewage pollution and coral cover and disease, these results implicate sewage pollution as a contributor to diminished reef health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Electronic address: rmy27@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Reyn M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Yoshioka
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine J S
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Allison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tracy
authors.affiliation: The Nature Conservancy, 923 Nuuanu Ave., Honolulu, HI 96817, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Most
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: C Drew
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Harvell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000254:growth & development*; D057894:Coral Reefs; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006254:Hawaii; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage
keywords: Coral disease; Enterococci; Hawaii; Porites growth anomaly; Sewage pollution; δ(15)N