CORAL DISEASE RESEARCH

Principle Investigator:

Eric Borneman
Department of Biology and Biochemistry
University of Houston
Science and Research Building II
4800 Calhoun Road
Houston, TX 77204-5001
eborneman@uh.edu

Research Assistant:

Andrew Bruckner, SECORE, Jerry Wellington

Background:

Eric Borneman is a PhD candidate at the University of Houston working primarily on stress related factors and apoptosis in coral diseases. He is also interested in the ecology of coral diseases, the cellular biology of the disease process, and in new pathologies.

Eric began working with the FGBNMS in 2002 and received three years of funding through the Environmental Institute of Houston to conduct work related to coral disease on the Banks. In addition, he has participated in spawning cruises and worked on the fertilization and settlement of Diploria strigosa for two years. During numerous research cruises, Eric also assisted with other reporting data, including bleaching and disease outbreak assessments and spawning reports.

Research Focus:

Coral diseases at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

Research Summary:

Eric is currently investigating five diseases (or anomalies) that occur at the FGBNMS, most of which appear to be transient disease (anomaly) states and do not result in coral mortality. A recent white syndrome outbreak and a mottling syndrome that results in partial to total mortality of affected Colpophyllia natans colonies are being examined histologically and using molecular techniques. This work is in progress.

A paper describing the low prevalence, novel pathologies, and a review of previously described pathologies was published in the special issue of Gulf of Mexico Science on the FGBNMS (Borneman and Wellington 2005). Successful fertilization (80-90%) and settlement (50-60%) of Diploria strigosa was accomplished during the 2006 spawning cruise as part of the international Project SECORE (SExual COral REproduction).

Benefits:

Eric believes that the Flower Garden Banks provides an excellent opportunity for research as the reef conditions are as close to a healthy baseline as exist today in the greater Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf regions. The health, diversity and species interactions that exist here, despite their geographically marginal location for the existence of coral reefs, allows for excellent opportunities that are unavailable at the increasingly degraded sites elsewhere in the region.

Eric also considers the staff of the FGBNMS to be a most professional and conscientious group, with clear and proactive goals towards conserving this sanctuary. He plans to continue working with the sanctuary in the years to come, as their efforts are clearly working to provide successful management, protection and monitoring of these unique reefs and banks.