An introduction to lesions and histology of scleractinian corals.

Stony corals (Scleractinia) are in the Phylum Cnidaria (cnidae referring to various types of stinging cells). They may be solitary or colonial, but all secrete an external, supporting aragonite skeleton. Large, colonial members of this phylum are responsible for the accretion of coral reefs in tropical and subtropical waters that form the foundations of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems.

Gill epithelial cell nuclear virus disease is prevalent and widespread in Mya arenaria clams of Chesapeake Bay, USA.

Several historic investigations have reported intranuclear virus infections of Mya arenaria soft-shell clams from the Atlantic coast of North America, but their descriptive details are limited. Among numerous multi-clam samples of Chesapeake Bay M. arenaria that were analyzed histopathologically during clam population surveys from 2000-2009, virus replication apparently caused extreme hypertrophy among the infected nuclei of gill epithelial cells.

Ecology, histopathology, and microbial ecology of a white-band disease outbreak in the threatened staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis.

This study is a multi-pronged description of a temperature-induced outbreak of white-band disease (WBD) that occurred in Acropora cervicornis off northern Miami Beach, Florida (USA), from July to October 2014. We describe the ecology of the disease and examine diseased corals using both histopathology and next-generation bacterial 16S gene sequencing, making it possible to better understand the effect this disease has on the coral holobiont, and to address some of the seeming contradictions among previous studies of WBD that employed either a purely histological or molecular approach. The outbreak began in July 2014, as sea surface temperatures reached 29°C, and peaked in mid-September, a month after the sea surface temperature maximum.

Expression and Characterization of a Bright Far-red Fluorescent Protein from the Pink-Pigmented Tissues of Porites lobata.

Members of the anthozoan green fluorescent protein (GFP) family display a diversity of photo-physical properties that can be associated with normal and damaged coral tissues. Poritid coral species often exhibit localized pink pigmentation in diseased or damaged tissues. Our spectral and histological analyses of pink-pigmented Porites lobata lesions show co-localization of bright red fluorescence with putative amoebocytes concentrating in the epidermis, suggesting an activated innate immune response.

Correction: Phylogenetic, genomic, and biogeographic characterization of a novel and ubiquitous marine invertebrate-associated Rickettsiales parasite, Candidatus Aquarickettsia rohweri, gen. nov., sp. nov.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Phylogenetic, genomic, and biogeographic characterization of a novel and ubiquitous marine invertebrate-associated Rickettsiales parasite, Candidatus Aquarickettsia rohweri, gen. nov., sp. nov.

Bacterial symbionts are integral to the health and homeostasis of invertebrate hosts. Notably, members of the Rickettsiales genus Wolbachia influence several aspects of the fitness and evolution of their terrestrial hosts, but few analogous partnerships have been found in marine systems. We report here the genome, phylogenetics, and biogeography of a ubiquitous and novel Rickettsiales species that primarily associates with marine organisms.

Genotypic variation in disease susceptibility among cultured stocks of elkhorn and staghorn corals.

Disease mortality has been a primary driver of population declines and the threatened status of the foundational Caribbean corals, and . There remain few tools to effectively manage coral disease. Substantial investment is flowing into culture and population enhancement efforts, while disease takes a variable but sometimes high toll in restored populations.

Successful cryopreservation of coral larvae using vitrification and laser warming.

Climate change has increased the incidence of coral bleaching events, resulting in the loss of ecosystem function and biodiversity on reefs around the world. As reef degradation accelerates, the need for innovative restoration tools has become acute. Despite past successes with ultra-low temperature storage of coral sperm to conserve genetic diversity, cryopreservation of larvae has remained elusive due to their large volume, membrane complexity, and sensitivity to chilling injury.

Growth and reproduction of Echeneis naucrates from the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

This study describes growth and reproductive characteristics of a facultative elasmobranch symbiont, Echeneis naucrates. Females grew slower but achieved a larger size than males (growth coefficient, K = 0.25 and 0.

Disease dynamics and potential mitigation among restored and wild staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis.

The threatened status (both ecologically and legally) of Caribbean staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, has prompted rapidly expanding efforts in culture and restocking, although tissue loss diseases continue to affect populations. In this study, disease surveillance and histopathological characterization were used to compare disease dynamics and conditions in both restored and extant wild populations. Disease had devastating effects on both wild and restored populations, but dynamics were highly variable and appeared to be site-specific with no significant differences in disease prevalence between wild versus restored sites.

Immunolocalization of skeletal matrix proteins in tissue and mineral of the coral Stylophora pistillata.

The precipitation and assembly of calcium carbonate skeletons by stony corals is a precisely controlled process regulated by the secretion of an ECM. Recently, it has been reported that the proteome of the skeletal organic matrix (SOM) contains a group of coral acid-rich proteins as well as an assemblage of adhesion and structural proteins, which together, create a framework for the precipitation of aragonite. To date, we are aware of no report that has investigated the localization of individual SOM proteins in the skeleton.

Cellular responses in sea fan corals: granular amoebocytes react to pathogen and climate stressors.

Background: Climate warming is causing environmental change making both marine and terrestrial organisms, and even humans, more susceptible to emerging diseases. Coral reefs are among the most impacted ecosystems by climate stress, and immunity of corals, the most ancient of metazoans, is poorly known. Although coral mortality due to infectious diseases and temperature-related stress is on the rise, the immune effector mechanisms that contribute to the resistance of corals to such events remain elusive.

Cellular reactions to sedimentation and temperature stress in the Caribbean coral Montastraea cavernosa.

We present evidence of cellular responses to increased sedimentation and temperature in Montastraea cavernosa collected off Broward County, Florida. We sampled corals from six different sites approximately, 500-1000 m off shore, 10-15m depth. Six samples were collected from four sites adjacent to areas of underwater marine dredging (project sites), while the remaining two samples were obtained far away from the influence of the marine dredging (control sites).

The etiology of white pox, a lethal disease of the Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata.

Populations of the shallow-water Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, are being decimated by white pox disease, with losses of living cover in the Florida Keys typically in excess of 70%. The rate of tissue loss is rapid, averaging 2.5 cm2 x day(-1), and is greatest during periods of seasonally elevated temperature.