Over the past decade the accounts of various coral diseases have been on the rise which had lead to the decimation of keystone species of corals throughout mainly the world’s tropical oceans. Since the mid-1990s, 18 coral diseases affecting at least 150 scleractinian, gorgonian, and hydrozoan zooxanthellate species have been described in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific (Sutherland et al. 2004). Most of these diseases have been caused by bacterial, fungal, and protist type pathogens as well the increased sea temperatures, pollution, and eutrophication. Sutherland et al. says that it is estimated that worldwide 27% of coral reefs have been lost with 16% at serious risk and the corals exhibiting diseases have increased 218% between 1996 and 2000
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(2006) there have been very few primary pathogens identified which leads to our current understanding of coral disease and progression to be very limited. Scientists have to go beyond the external symptoms of diseases to gain accurate diagnosis’ and gain further understanding which could lead to a decrease of devastation to the coral communities. The relationships between coral diseases and the human activities that impact them are very important since the number and prevalence of diseases are increasing which indicates a general decline in the marine environment (Green and Bruckner 2000). If we had better knowledge of the issues that the marine environments face then we would have better understanding on how to assist in the conservation of the coral species that are being affected by these spreading diseases. WBD has had a hand in changing the structure of the Caribbean reefs which has 97% of its locations being disease hot spots but most observed diseases are not genera specific like WBD is (Green and Bruckner 2000). If we had better knowledge of the issues that the marine environments face then we would have better understanding on how to assist in the conservation of the coral species that are being affected by these spreading diseases. WBD has had a hand in changing the structure of the Caribbean reefs which has 97% of its locations being disease hot spots but most observed diseases are not genera specific like WBD is (Weil et al. 2006). Most of the diseases were in areas of high human impact on the environment as well which indicates that the disturbances of reefs could go hand in hand with the coral diseases affecting so much of the Caribbean and
(2006) there have been very few primary pathogens identified which leads to our current understanding of coral disease and progression to be very limited. Scientists have to go beyond the external symptoms of diseases to gain accurate diagnosis’ and gain further understanding which could lead to a decrease of devastation to the coral communities. The relationships between coral diseases and the human activities that impact them are very important since the number and prevalence of diseases are increasing which indicates a general decline in the marine environment (Green and Bruckner 2000). If we had better knowledge of the issues that the marine environments face then we would have better understanding on how to assist in the conservation of the coral species that are being affected by these spreading diseases. WBD has had a hand in changing the structure of the Caribbean reefs which has 97% of its locations being disease hot spots but most observed diseases are not genera specific like WBD is (Green and Bruckner 2000). If we had better knowledge of the issues that the marine environments face then we would have better understanding on how to assist in the conservation of the coral species that are being affected by these spreading diseases. WBD has had a hand in changing the structure of the Caribbean reefs which has 97% of its locations being disease hot spots but most observed diseases are not genera specific like WBD is (Weil et al. 2006). Most of the diseases were in areas of high human impact on the environment as well which indicates that the disturbances of reefs could go hand in hand with the coral diseases affecting so much of the Caribbean and