ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the various types of microbial diseases and their importance in natural ecosystems and aquaculture, with special consideration of the impact of climate change, pollution, global transport, and other anthropogenic factors. C. A. Burge et al. provide several case studies showing successful combination of traditional and modern diagnostic methods for diseases of corals and other marine organisms. Marine biologists have become increasingly aware of the effects of infectious microbial diseases on populations and communities of marine organisms, which can sometimes result in major changes at the ecosystem level. Beginning in 1995, one of the most devastating epizootics yet seen in the marine environment occurred in sea fans in the Caribbean Sea. There is an enormous diversity and abundance of marine parasites and pathogens, which are a natural part of the life cycle of all organisms, regulating food webs and shaping the structure and function of ecosystems. Protistan parasites are also frequently found in aquarium corals.