caa a22 4500 445820217 CHVBK 20180317145241.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s00338-010-0707-1 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s00338-010-0707-1 Selective feeding by coral reef fishes on coral lesions associated with brown band and black band disease [Elektronische Daten] [K. Chong-Seng, A. Cole, M. Pratchett, B. Willis] Recent studies have suggested that corallivorous fishes may be vectors for coral disease, but the extent to which fishes actually feed on and thereby potentially transmit coral pathogens is largely unknown. For this study, in situ video observations were used to assess the level to which fishes fed on diseased coral tissues at Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef. Surveys conducted at multiple locations around Lizard Island revealed that coral disease prevalence, especially of brown band disease (BrB), was higher in lagoon and backreef locations than in exposed reef crests. Accordingly, video cameras were deployed in lagoon and backreef habitats to record feeding by fishes during 1-h periods on diseased sections of each of 44 different coral colonies. Twenty-five species from five fish families (Blennidae, Chaetodontidae, Gobiidae, Labridae and Pomacentridae) were observed to feed on infected coral tissues of staghorn species of Acropora that were naturally infected with black band disease (BBD) or brown band disease (BrB). Collectively, these fishes took an average of 18.6 (±5.6 SE) and 14.3 (±6.1 SE) bites per hour from BBD and BrB lesions, respectively. More than 40% (408/948 bites) and nearly 25% (314/1319 bites) of bites were observed on lesions associated with BBD and BrB, respectively, despite these bands each representing only about 1% of the substratum available. Moreover, many corallivorous fishes (Labrichthys unilineatus, Chaetodon aureofasciatus, C. baronessa, C. lunulatus, C. trifascialis, Cheiloprion labiatus) selectively targeted disease lesions over adjacent healthy coral tissues. These findings highlight the important role that reef fishes may play in the dynamics of coral diseases, either as vectors for the spread of coral disease or in reducing coral disease progression through intensive and selective consumption of diseased coral tissues. Springer-Verlag, 2010 Coral disease nationallicence Corallivores nationallicence Butterflyfishes nationallicence Feeding selectivity nationallicence Disease transmission nationallicence Chong-Seng K. School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, Australia aut Cole A. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, Australia aut Pratchett M. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, Australia aut Willis B. School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, Australia aut Coral Reefs Springer-Verlag 30/2(2011-06-01), 473-481 0722-4028 30:2<473 2011 30 338 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-010-0707-1 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-010-0707-1 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Chong-Seng K. School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Cole A. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Pratchett M. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Willis B. School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Coral Reefs Springer-Verlag 30/2(2011-06-01), 473-481 0722-4028 30:2<473 2011 30 338 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer