Coral health and disease in the Pacific: vision for action

Shallow coral reefs in the IndoPacific contain the highest diversity of marine organisms in the world, with approximately 1500 described species of fish, over 500 species of scleractinian corals, and an estimated 1-10 million organisms yet to be characterized (Reaka-Kudla et al. 1994). These centers of marine biodiversity are facing significant, multiple threats to reef community and habitat structure and function, resulting in local to wide-scale regional damage. Wilkinson (2004) characterized the major pressures as including (1) global climate change, (2) diseases, plagues and invasive species, (3) direct human pressures, (4) poor governance and lack of political will, and (5) international action or inaction. Signs that the natural plasticity of reef ecosystems has been exceeded in many areas from the effects of environmental (e.g., global climate change) and anthropogenic (e.g., land use, pollution) stressors is evidenced by the loss of 20% of the world’s coral reefs (Wilkinson 2004). Predictions are that another 24% (Wilkinson 2006) are under imminent risk of collapse and an additional 26% are under a longer term threat from reduced fitness, disease outbreaks, and increased mortality. These predictions indicate that the current list of approximately 30-40 fatal diseases impacting corals will expand as will the frequency and extent of “coral bleaching” (Waddell 2005; Wilkinson 2004). Disease and corallivore outbreaks, in combination with multiple, concomitant human disturbances are compromising corals and coral reef communities to the point where their ability to rebound from natural disturbances is being lost.

In utero domoic acid toxicity: a fetal basis to adult disease in the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)

California sea lions have been a repeated subject of investigation for early life toxicity, which has been documented to occur with increasing frequency from late February through mid-May in association with organochlorine (PCB and DDT) poisoning and infectious disease in the 1970's and domoic acid poisoning in the last decade. The mass early life mortality events result from the concentrated breeding grounds and synchronization of reproduction over a 28 day post partum estrus cycle and 11 month in utero phase. This physiological synchronization is triggered by a decreasing photoperiod of 11.48 h/day that occurs approximately 90 days after conception at the major California breeding grounds. The photoperiod trigger activates implantation of embryos to proceed with development for the next 242 days until birth. Embryonic diapause is a selectable trait thought to optimize timing for food utilization and male migratory patterns; yet from the toxicological perspective presented here also serves to synchronize developmental toxicity of pulsed environmental events such as domoic acid poisoning. Research studies in laboratory animals have defined age-dependent neurotoxic effects during development and windows of susceptibility to domoic acid exposure. This review will evaluate experimental domoic acid neurotoxicity in developing rodents and, aided by comparative allometric projections, will analyze potential prenatal toxicity and exposure susceptibility in the California sea lion. This analysis should provide a useful tool to forecast fetal toxicity and understand the impact of fetal toxicity on adult disease of the California sea lion.

Field manual for investigating coral disease outbreaks

Coral reefs throughout their circumtropical range are declining at an accelerating rate. Recent predictions indicate that 20% of the world’s reefs have been degraded, another 24% are under imminent risk of collapse, and if current estimates hold, by 2030, 26% of the world’s reefs will be lost (Wilkinson 2004). Recent changes to these ecosystems have included losses of apex predators, reductions of important herbivorous fishes and invertebrates, and precipitous declines in living coral cover, with many reefs now dominated by macroalgae. Causes have been described in broad sweeping terms: global climate change, over-fishing and destructive fishing, land-based sources of pollution, sedimentation, hurricanes, mass bleaching events and disease. Recognition that corals can succumb to disease was first reported in the early 1970’s. Then it was a unique observation, with relatively few isolated reports until the mid 1990’s. Today disease has spread to over 150 species of coral, reported from 65 countries throughout all of the world’s tropical oceans (WCMC Global Coral Disease Database). While disease continues to increase in frequency and distribution throughout the world, definitive causes of coral diseases have remained elusive for the most part, with reef managers not sufficiently armed to combat it.

拮抗菌和化学物质的抑病机理及果实抗病相关基因的克隆

真菌病害是造成采后新鲜水果损失的一个主要原因。生物拮抗菌能有效地防治果实采后腐烂，降低杀菌剂的用量，从而增加了食品安全性和降低了潜在的环境危害。然而，与化学杀菌剂相比，单独使用生物拮抗菌对果实采后病害的控制效果有时不如化学杀菌剂明显。因此，为了提高拮抗菌的生防效力，有效控制果实的采后病害，本文主要研究了拮抗菌与化学物质使用的防病机理，并从冬枣果实中克隆β-1，3-葡聚糖酶基因并对其特性进行了初步分析。研究结果表明： 1. 酵母菌Cryptococcus laurentii和枯草芽孢杆菌Bacillus subtilis能够有效的防治冬枣果实采后青霉病和黑霉病的发生，而且C. laurentii对病害的防治效果比B. subtilis好。拮抗菌的抑病效果与使用浓度成正比。在接种C. laurentii的伤口上再接种病原菌可以显著刺激酵母菌的生长。然而，在接种B. subtilis的伤口上接种病原菌则不增加拮抗细菌的群体数量。 2. 不同酵母拮抗菌对四种杀菌剂（Deccozil，Sportak，Iprodine和Stroby）的敏感程度不同。其中，R. glutinis对Deccozil，Iprodione和Stroby最敏感。将低剂量的杀菌剂与酵母菌配合能显著增强酵母菌对采后病菌的抑制作用。C. laurentii与100 µl/L的Stroby配合能完全抑制青霉和黑霉病菌的孢子萌发。2%（w/v）的碳酸氢钠（SBC）与C. laurentii或T. pullulans配合使用显著抑制采后病菌(Penicillium expansum或Alternaria alternata)的孢子萌发和芽管伸长。SBC显著增强拮抗菌对梨果实采后青霉病和黑霉病的防治能力。C. laurentii对采后病害的防治效果好于T. pullulans的防治效果。 3. C. laurentii和B. subtilis对冬枣果实抗病性的诱导与接种距离和接种时间密切相关。距接种拮抗菌近的部位，抗性诱导就越强。酵母菌诱导果实的这种抗病性与诱导果实几丁质酶，β-1，3-葡聚糖酶， PAL，POD和PPO活性有关。 4. 采前喷施2 mM的水杨酸（SA）和0.2 mM的茉莉酸甲酯（MeJA）显著降低甜樱桃果实采后褐腐病的病斑直径， 并能诱导甜樱桃果实β-1，3-葡聚糖酶， PAL， POD和PPO活性以及乙烯含量的增加。采前处理对果实抗病性的诱导效果要好于采后处理。采前和采后SA或MeJA处理，贮藏于25C的甜樱桃果实β-1，3-葡聚糖酶和PAL活性显著高于贮藏于0C的甜樱桃果实的酶活性。2 mM的SA显著抑制了Monilinia fructicola的孢子萌发和菌丝扩展;而0.2 mM的MeJA则对M. fructicola几乎没有抑制作用。在贮藏早期，MeJA对果实β-1，3-葡聚糖酶和PAL活性的诱导作用要强于SA的诱导作用。 5. 1 × 108CFU/ml的C. laurentii，以及5 × 107CFU/ml的C. laurentii与0.2 mM的MeJA 配合使用均可诱导桃果实的抗性，并显著降低果实青霉病和褐腐病的病斑直径。0.2 mM的MeJA能促进C. laurentii生长，抑制P. expansum的菌丝扩展， 但对M. fructicola基本没有抑制作用。在25和0C，MeJA和C. laurentii单独或配合使用都诱导了桃果实几丁质酶，β-1，3-葡聚糖酶，PAL和POD活性的升高。这些抗病相关酶活性的升高可能与病斑扩展的程度是直接相关的。 6. 通过设计简并引物，采用降落PCR，扩增出β-1，3-葡聚糖酶基因的同源片段，分别克隆到两个彼此间同源性很低的β-1，3-葡聚糖酶的cDNA全长（Glu-1和Glu-2）。RT-PCR结果表明，Glu-1基因的表达受酵母拮抗菌C. laurentii处理所诱导，这一结果与酵母拮抗菌诱导果实β-1，3-葡聚糖酶活性的增加相呼应;而Glu-2基因的表达则不受C. laurentii处理所诱导。