Porites Pink Blotch Disease
EricHugo at aol.com
EricHugo at aol.com
Sat May 8 15:57:18 EDT 1999
Technically, disease defined is, "Any deviation from or interruption of the
normal structure or function of any part, organ, or system (or combination
thereof) that is manfiested by a characteristic set of signs and/or symptoms
and whose etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown."
Along the thoughts of Les Kaufman, I would like to add that there seems to
frequently be a tendency to use the word "disease" to describe virtually any
condition that causes mortality - and also to frequently assume the "disease"
or mortality is due to unnamed and undocumented bacterial pathogens.
There is a description of Porites tissue turning pink in a stress
response/pre-necrotism - Schuhmacher H (1992) Impact of some corallivorous
snails on stony corals in the Red Sea. Proc 7th Int Coral Reef Sym 2:840-6.
We have also regularly observed highly stressed Acroporid tissue become
brownish purple or pinkish brown prior to sloughing in aquaria, fwiw.
Eric Borneman
In a message dated 5/8/99 9:47:15 AM, lesk at bio.bu.edu writes:
<< at least these
species, and probably many other Porites, exhibit a pinkish or purplish
discoloration in response to virtually any persistent insult- be they
parasites, necrosis near fish bite marks, margins of advance by competing
assemblages of endolith/algal turf (unsure who the main culprit is), or
even the edges of damselfish gardens. I think it is misleading to refer
to this collection of processes as a single disease. Even if there is a
disease that produces a distinct, recognizable manifestation of the pink
discoloration, neophytes will have a devil of a time distinguishing it
from all the other pinkish blotches these corals produce. Pink in
at least some Indo-Pacific Porites means "bad hair day." Cindy Hunter,
help us! >>
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