Hawaii Coral Disease

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PI: Greta Aeby, PhD

There has been a worldwide increase in the reports of diseases affecting marine organisms. In the Caribbean, mass mortalities among organisms in reef ecosystems have resulted in major shifts in community structure. However, our ability to fully understand recent disease outbreaks is hampered by the paucity of baseline and epizootiological information on disease levels in the ocean. Our research group has initiated studies of coral, fish and crustose coralline algae disease in Hawaii (main and northwestern Hawaiian Islands) and in other areas of the Indo-Pacific. Using a combination of field surveys and laboratory investigations, including histopathology and microbiology, our goal is to document lesions in marine organisms and determine their potential causes.

Our main objectives are to:

1. Conduct field surveys to get a baseline of the abundance and distribution of diseases in corals, fish and crustose coralline algae.
2. Systematically describe gross and microscopic morphology of lesions in corals and fish.
3. Culture and identify potential pathogens associated with diseased corals.
4. Conduct focused studies to understand the epizootiology of the different diseases.