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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)
Contents Vol 75(3)

Impacts of necrotising disease on the Endangered cauliflower soft coral (Dendronephthya australis)

Rosemary Kate Steinberg https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6153-2743 A B C , John Turnbull https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8935-1012 A D , Tracy D. Ainsworth https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6476-9263 A * , Katherine A. Dafforn https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8848-377X C , Alistair G. B. Poore https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3560-3659 A and Emma L. Johnston https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2117-366X A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

B Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, Australia.

C School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

D School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

* Correspondence to: tracy.ainsworth@unsw.edu.au

Handling Editor: Jacob Johansen

Marine and Freshwater Research 75, MF23144 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF23144
Submitted: 13 March 2023  Accepted: 8 January 2024  Published: 5 February 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC)

Abstract

Context

Diseases have affected coral populations worldwide, leading to population declines and requiring active restoration efforts.

Aims

Describe population and individual impacts of necrotising disease in the Endangered octocoral Dendronephthya australis.

Methods

We quantified population loss and recruitment by using reference photos, survey and GPS mapping and described disease lesions by using histopathology.

Key results

From December 2019 to January 2020, we observed polyp loss, necrotic lesions and loss of large colonies of D. australis at Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia. By September 2020, only a few scattered recruits remained, and all large colonies were lost. Histopathology of colonies sampled in January 2020 confirmed that the disease had resulted in necrosis, gastrovascular canal collapse and internal colony integrity loss, leading to mortality. New recruits were recorded within 10 months of disease onset, and large colonies within 18 months.

Conclusions

Although the necrotising disease had significant impacts on both the individual and population level, natural recruitment began quickly. As such, unlike in other populations, restoration is not currently required in the Bare Island D. australis population.

Implications

The extent of disease impact at the individual and population levels suggests that monitoring for lesions should be undertaken before developing conservation and restoration strategies for this species.

Keywords: alcyonacea, Botany Bay, coral disease, disease, disease histology, marine disease, octocoral, temperate, temperate reef.

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