Abundance and distribution of black band disease on coral reefs in the northern Florida Keys

The abundance and distribution of black band disease on the reef building corals Montastraea annularis, M. cavernosa, Colpophyllia natans, Diploria clivosa, D. labyrinthiformis and D. strigosa were determined at Algae Reef, Grecian Rocks and Key Large Dry Rocks in the Key Large National Marine Sanctuary, Florida, USA. During July and November of 1992 and July 1993, surveys of permanently marked sites covering 9424 m(2) of reef tract showed that up to 0.72% of 1397 coral colonies of these species were infected with black band disease. The distribution of the disease among the thirty 20-meter diameter sites was clumped, suggesting that the disease is infectious. Year-round monitoring revealed that seasonal disease patterns varied between reefs. Three seasonal patterns were apparent: some coral colonies were infected year round; several colonies exhibited previously unreported reinfection on a seasonal basis; and some exhibited the widely reported pattern of infection limited to the warmer months of the year (sea water temperatures 25 degrees C or higher).