By Salvi Ibragimova

Sea Fan
Gorgonia ventalina

Coral species found in very high densities in shallow Caribbean coral reefs Grow across currents where capturing of prey is most successful Shelter for a variety of microorganisms

Sea Fan Disease

Aspergillosis

Fungal disease Decreased numbers of sea fans in the Caribbean in the last decade Symptoms: purpling of the tissue, lesions, and galling Poorly understood disease

Pathogenic origin Mode of transmission Mechanism of pathogenicity

Sea Fan Predator

Flamingo Tongue Snail (Cyphoma gobbosum)

Found in male and female pairs Prey almost exclusively on sea fans by eating away the outer fleshy layer

rarely kill their host: majority of damaged tissue is replaced by regeneration

C. gobbosum is used in studies to locate the species of sea fans in the Caribbean

Hypothesis
C. gibbosum will select its prey and consume more of the diseased sea fans compared to healthy sea fans. Aspergillosis disease might be weakening sea fan defenses and thus making sea fans more palatable to the C. gibbosum species.

Materials and Methods

Site Survey

Survey reef and mark sea fan colonies Remove snails and collect them in jars Take pictures of marked sea fan colonies
Analyze images using NIH ImageJ 1.34s Separate sea fans into healthy and unhealthy groups Group unhealthy sea fans according to degree of unhealthiness

Survey Analysis

Materials and Methods

Experiment

Statistical Analysis

3 collected snails will be placed on each sea fan Images will be take Observations on grazing activities will be made twice a day (a.m./ p.m.) Observations will end after 24 hours and the final images of sea fans will be taken after removal of snails Images will be analyzed using NIH ImageJ 1.34s so quantify area of grazed tissue Grazing measurement will be compared between healthy an unhealthy sea fans T test will be used to determine if there is a significant difference between grazing behavior of snails on healthy and unhealthy sea fan colonies

Timetable
Day 1

Day 2

survey the reef in order to locate and mark sea fan colonies using flagging tape with numbers remove snails from marked sea fans and place them in jars take pictures of marked sea fans analyze pictures and determining the sea fans that will be used in the study place snails on sea fans make observations at 6-8 p.m. on the same day and 810 a.m. on the next day (take pictures every time) take a final picture at the end of 24 hours (after removal of all snails) analyze the significance of results using methods of statistical analysis. repeat the experiment if any unusual results are obtained

Day 3-4

Day 5-7

Budget
ITEMS
Flight Ticket Rental Car Food/Hotel Computer Digital Underwater Camera Scuba Equipment Flagging Tape Permanent Marker $750.00 x 5 $50.00 x 5 $560.00 x 5 $800.00 $400.00 $250.00 x 5 $19.08 $2.00

COSTS

TOTAL

$13,821.08

References
Andras JP, Kirk NL, and Harvell DC. (2011)"Range-wide Population Genetic Structure of Symbiodinium Associated with the Caribbean Sea Fan Coral, Gorgonia ventalina." Molecular Ecology 20.12 : 2525-542. Bruno J F, Ellner SP, Vu I, Kim K, and Harvell CD. (2011)"Impacts of Aspergillosis on Sea Fan Coral Demography: Modeling a Moving Target." Ecological Monographs 81.1: 123-39. Dude D, Kim K, Alker A, and Harvell DC. (2002) "Size Structure and Geographic Variation in Chemical Resistance of Sea Fan Corals Gorgonia ventalina to a Fungal Pathogen."Marine Ecology Progress Series 231 : 139-50. Burkepile DE, and Hay ME. (2007) "Predator Release of the Gastropod Cyphoma Gibbosum Increases Predation on Gorgonian Corals." Oecologia 154.1 : 167-73. Toledo-Hernndez C, Zuluaga-Montero A, Bones-Gonzlez A,Rodrguez JA, Sabat AM, and Bayman P. (2008) "Fungi in Healthy and Diseased Sea Fans (Gorgonia ventalina): Is Aspergillus Sydowii Always the Pathogen?" Coral Reefs 27.3 :707-14. Rivest EB, Baker DM, Rypien KL, and Harvell DC. (2010) "Nitrogen Source Preference of Aspergillus sydowii, an Infective Agent Associated with Aspergillosis of Sea Fan Corals." Limnology and Oceanography 55.1: 386-92.

Chiappone M, Diebes H, Swanson D, and Miller S. (2003) Density and Gorgonian Hostoccupation Patterns by Flamingo Tongue Snails (Cyphoma gibbosum) in the Florida Keys. Caribbean Journal of Science 39.1 : 116-127.
Gerhart, DJ. (1986)"Regariousness in the Gorgonian-eating Gastropod Cyphoma gibbosum: Tests of Several Possible Causes." Marine Ecology Progress Series 31 : 255-63.