Research paper presented at the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) Cairns, Australia 9-13 July 2012 in the Climate change and bleaching mini-symposium. The paper has presented the first detailed quantitative data on the distribution and prevalence of coral diseases and other compromised health signs including coral bleaching that affect multiple corals in multiple sites along the Egyptian Red Sea coast.

1. Status of coral reef health in the northern Red Sea, Egypt
Amin R Mohamed1,2
Abdel-Hamid A Mohamed3 , Hany A Abdel-Salam2
1ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University JCU, Townsville 4811, Queensland, Australia
2Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt
3National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF), Suez, Egypt

2. The Aims of the study
To provide baseline knowledge of coral health and disease in the northern
Egyptian Red Sea
» Coral disease and other compromised health states currently affecting this
region
» Prevalence of coral diseases/syndromes
» Variation in coral diseases among survey sites
» Distribution of coral diseases/syndromes among sites
» Variation in coral diseases among hard coral species

3. Study area

4. Study area
I El-Ain Al-Sukhna
II Ras Za’farana
III Hurghada
IV Ras Ghozlani
V Old Quay
VI Yolanda reef
VII Ras Umm Sid
VIII WoodHouse reef
IX Canyon reef
Map of nine coral disease prevalence survey sites in the
northern Egyptian Red Sea

5. Field survey and data analysis

6. Field survey
» To maximize documentation, the studied reefs were surveyed during summer
months 2009-10.
» At each site, three replicate belt transects (20m long and 2m wide) (English et
al. 1997) were surveyed at fixed intervals on the reef slope (at a uniform depth
contour of 2-6m).
» All colonies within each transect were identified, counted, photographed, and
checked for signs of disease, bleaching, predation and compromised health.
» Coral species and diseases were identified in situ and underwater
photographs (SeaLife ECOShot/SL321) were used for further confirmation.
» Coral disease, bleaching, predation and other signs of compromised health
(pigmentation response, sediment damage, algae and sponge overgrowth)
were identified by the characteristics of the lesions using the guides of Beeden
et al. (2008) and Raymundo et al.(2008).

7. Data analysis
» The prevalence of coral disease, bleaching, predation and other signs of
compromised health was expressed as a percentage of the total number of
coral colonies surveyed per transect.
» Mean prevalence and standard errors were calculated from all three replicate
transects per site. Differences in the prevalence of disease and compromised
health signs among affected hard coral species and sites were tested using
separate one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA).
» Regression analysis was used to examine whether the prevalence of coral
disease was related to live hard coral cover and species abundance.
» Cluster analysis (joining or tree clustering method) was carried out using
STATISTICA software to examine the similarities among the studied sites in
coral disease and compromised health occurrence.

8. Results

9. Recorded coral diseases and other signs of compromised health
White syndrome (WS) Skeletal eroding band (SEB)
Black band disease (BBD) Pink line syndrome (PLS)
Pigmentation response Fish predation
Drupella cornus predation
Coral bleaching
Sediment damage Sponge overgrowth
In situ photographs of diseases and compromised health signs affecting corals in the northern
Egyptian Red Sea

10. Overall prevalence of coral diseases and other
compromised health states
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Percent prevalence 0.4
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0.2
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Mean prevalence of coral diseases and compromised health states across nine survey sites in the northern Egyptian Red Sea
in 2009-10. BBD, black Band disease; WS, white syndrome; PLS, pink line syndrome; UWS, ulcerative white spots; SEB,
skeletal eroding band; Bl, bleaching. (N=9 sites; n= 3 transect per site; mean±SE) (ANOVA, F=11.6, df=1, p≤0.05)

11. Variation of coral diseases among survey sites
1.8
1.6
1.4
Percent Prevalence
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0.8
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0.4
0.2
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Mean prevalence of diseases and compromised health signs affecting corals in the surveyed sites in the northern
Egyptian Red Sea. (N = 9 sites; n = 3 transect per site; mean ± SE) (ANOVA, F= 8.8, df=1, p≤0.05)

12. Distribution of the different coral diseases and compromised health
among sites
Cluster analysis dendrogram showing the similarities in the occurrence of particular coral diseases
among sites in northern Egyptian Red Sea.

13. Distribution of the different coral diseases an compromised health
among site, con.
Diseases and Compromised health Sites
signs
BBD III, IV, V, VI, VII, and IX
WS II, V, VI, VII, and IX
PLS I and IX
SEB II
UWS VII
Bleaching I, II, II, IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII
Drupella cornus predation I
Fish predation VI and VII
Pigmentation response I, II, V, VI, and IX
Sediment damage I and II
Sponge and algae overgrowth II, III, and IV
Table showing the the distribution of the different diseases and compromised health signs
affecting corals in the northern Egyptian Red Sea

14. Variation in coral diseases among hard coral species
Mean prevalence of diseases and compromised health signs affecting corals in the affected hard coral species in the
northern Egyptian Red Sea (N = 9 sites; n = 3 transect per site; mean ± SE)

15. NOAA Coral Reef Watch during the survey
Thermal stress during summer (Jul-Oct) in 2009 Thermal stress during summer in (Jul-Oct) 2010
Source: http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/index.html

16. Conclusion

17. Conclusion
» This study has documented that Egyptian Red Sea reefs are currently impacted
by a number of diseases/syndromes.
» These coral diseases affect both protected and non-protected reefs. However,
prevalence of coral diseases and compromised health signs were higher in non-
MPA sites than in MPA sites.
» Enhanced local anthropogenic stressors and increased sea surface
temperatures are suggested potential factors responsible for the initiation and
progression of different types of coral diseases and bleaching in the studied
reefs.
» Under increasing exposure to anthropogenic stressors in non-MPA sites, natural
resilience of coral reefs would be weakened, increasing the percentages of
corals affected by diseases leading to the fragile health state of corals in the
Egyptian Red Sea.

18. References
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Marine Science, Townsville, Australia 390p
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¨ Wallace CC (1999) Staghorn corals of the world: A revision of the coral genus Acropora. CSIRO publishing, Australia
¨ Raymundo LJ, Couch CS, Bruckner AW, Harvell CD, Work TM,Weil E, Woodley CM, Jordan-Dahlgren E, Willis BL,
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Reef TargetedResearch and Capacity Building for Management Program,Currie Communications, Melbourne, pp 1-
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¨ Sheppard CRC, Sheppard A LS (1991) Corals of the Indian Ocean.CD-ROM. Sida, Stockholm
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¨ Rinkevich B (2005) What do we know about Eilat (Red Sea) reef degradation? A critical examination of the
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¨ Antonius A, Riegl B (1997) A possible link between coral diseases and a corallivorous snail (Drupella cornus) outbreak
in the Red Sea. Atoll Res Bull 447:1–9
¨ Beeden R, Willis BL, Raymundo L J, Page C A, Weil E (2008) Underwater cards for assessing coral health on Indo-
pacific reefs. Underwater Cards for Assessing Coral Health on Indo-Pacific Reefs. Coral Reef Targeted Research and
Capacity Building for Management Program, Currie Communications, Melbourne, 22

19. Credits
Ø Thanks to the Faculty of Science, Benha University, Egypt for
funding the project.
Ø for the ability to attend the ICRS 2012 in Cairns. Reef Studies
Thanks to the ARC Center of Excellence for Coral