Cellular diagnostics and coral health: declining coral health in the Florida Keys.

Coral reefs within the Florida Keys are disappearing at an alarming rate. Coral cover in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary declined by 38% from 1996 to 2000. In 2000, populations of Montastraea annularis at four sites near Molasses Reef within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and one reef within Biscayne National Park were sampled on a quarterly basis.

Cellular physiological assessment of bivalves after chronic exposure to spilled Exxon Valdez crude oil using a novel molecular diagnostic biotechnology.

The objective of this study was to determine the cellular physiological status of the bivalves Mya arenaria and Mytilus trossulus in an area experiencing a 10-yr chronic exposure of spilled Exxon Valdez crude oil in Prince William Sound. Bivalves were collected from well-characterized oiled and unoiled sites. We used a novel biotechnology (Environmental Cellular Diagnostic System) to determine (i) if bivalves were physiologically stressed, (ii) the nature of the altered physiological state, and (iii) whether the bivalves were responding to an exposure of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).