A New Perspective for Coral Health Assessment From the Tool Box to the Tool Kit Cheryl M. Woodley NOAA NOS NCCOS Charleston, SC Craig A. Downs EnVirtue Biotechnologies, Inc Winchester, VA

Overview Environmental Cellular Diagnostics –What is it? –How does it work? Cellular Diagnostics and coral –Coral Bleaching –Coral Health Global vs Local Emerging Technologies for Managers

Current monitoring methods ignore important links in the biological hierarchy Ecosystem  Infer Communities  Monitor Populations  Monitor Individuals Organs Tissues Cells & Molecules Stress

Need for New Methodologies Traditional methods detect disturbance only after the community has been altered. More sensitive techniques needed to detect stress before levels are high enough to degrade community.

Need for New Methodologies Risk (1999) specifically addressed need for integration of monitoring with research designed to identify stressors and determine causality.

Environmental Cellular Diagnostic System (patent-pending) Metal stress  Oxidative stress  Fuel stress  CYP P450 Metallothionein Cu/Zn SOD

Genomic Integrity DNA Adducts Abasic sites Micronuclei Cellular Integrity LPO, HNE Ferrochelatase Glutathione Ubiquitin Hsp 60, 70 Oxidative Stress Superoxide Dismutases Catalase Protein carbonyl sHsps Toxic Stress P450s Metallothioneins P glycoproteins, MDR Immune Competence Cellular Bioindicators

Goal: To determine health condition To determine susceptibility To identify stressor To predict outcomes (prognosis) … with information from the cell

Coral Bleaching

Sampling Locations 6m East Bache Shoal 8 6 m Alina’s reef 7 6 m Algae reef 6 6 m White Bank 5 18 m SW Molasses 4 10 m Between Molasses and Pickels 3 6 m SW Three Sisters 2 3 m Rodriguez Key 1 DepthSite Name Map by Mike Callahan

Significant Regressors March water temperature (R 2 = 0.37, P < 0.002). NOAA currently uses water temperature to predict coral bleaching hot spots.

A Better Regressor: Chloroplast Small Heat Shock Protein chlpsHsp concentration in March Pg chlpsHsp/  g total protein Probability of coral condition in September X 2 = 13.4, P < R 2 =

Environmental Cellular Diagnostic System

Emerging Technologies for Managers The Tool Kit….

Does human activity contribute to mass coral bleaching? not manageablePrevalent notion is that bleaching is not manageable Assumption has not been demonstrated Negligence in managing coral reef resources

Could agricultural activity affect coral bleaching?

Could recreational activity and/or residential development affect coral bleaching?

Anti-Foulant Paints Irgarol 1051 approved by U.S. EPA in 1998 Levels of Irgarol 1051 in water column as high as ppb in many places in the Florida Keys and Bermuda 10 ppb Irgarol can drop coral photosynthesis by 60% in 8 hours

Could watershed development and management affect coral bleaching?

Environmental Cellular Diagnostics as a resource management and regulatory instrument Determine if a chemical or activity might exacerbate coral bleaching - prevention Identify reefs that are at risk Better manage coral reef resources

Acknowledgements U.S. NOAA Florida Keys NMS NPS (Biscayne) Flower Gardens NMS U.S. Geological Survey Aust. Instit. Mar. Sci Environmental Moorings Intl. Oxis Research, Inc. College of Charleston Univ. S. Florida Medical Univ. S. Carolina The Cousteau Society Mote Marine Laboratory IIDEXO Bermuda Biol. Station