During the last 20 years, SAM has developed a multiplicity of hypothesis-driven conservation and restoration projects. Being home to the oldest Community-based coral aquaculture and reef rehabilitation program in the Caribbean, we aim to develop a variety of scientific publications that highlight our commitment towards the conservatiion of our marine resources. Most publications are freely available on our website.
Peer reviewed publications
Toledo-Hernández, Carlos; Ruiz-Diaz, Claudia P.; Díaz-Vázquez, Liz M.; Santiago-Cárdenas, Vanessa; Rosario-Berrios, Derick N.; García-Almedina, Derek M.; Roberson, Loretta M. Comparison of chemical compounds associated with sclerites from healthy and diseased sea fan corals (Gorgonia ventalina) Journal Article In: PeerJ, vol. 10, no. 3677, pp. 1-12, 2017. Toledo-Hernández, Carlos; Ruiz-Diaz, Claudia Patricia; Ramírez-Camejo, Luis; Paniagua, Raiza; Sabat, Alberto M.; Roberson, Loretta; Bayman, Paul The role of sclerites in the defense against pathogens of the sea fan Gorgonia ventalina (Octocorallia) Journal Article In: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol. 483, pp. 20-24, 2016. Ruiz-Diaz, Claudia Patricia; Toledo-Hernández, Carlos; Mercado-Molina, Alex E.; Sabat, Alberto M. Scraping and extirpating: two strategies to induce recovery of diseased Gorgonia ventalina sea fans Journal Article In: Marine Ecology, vol. 37, iss. 2, pp. 336-343, 2016, ISSN: 0173-9565. Ruiz-Diaz, Claudia P.; Toledo-Hernandez, Carlos; Mercado-Molina, Alex E.; Pérez, María-Eglée; Sabat, Alberto M. The role of coral colony health state in the recovery of lesions Journal Article In: Peer J, pp. 1-13, 2016.2017
@article{Toledo-Hernández2017,
title = {Comparison of chemical compounds associated with sclerites from healthy and diseased sea fan corals (\textit{Gorgonia ventalina})},
author = {Carlos Toledo-Hernández and Claudia P. Ruiz-Diaz and Liz M. Díaz-Vázquez and Vanessa Santiago-Cárdenas and Derick N. Rosario-Berrios and Derek M. García-Almedina and Loretta M. Roberson},
editor = {Joseph Pawlik},
url = {https://peerj.com/articles/3677/
https://www.sampr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Comparison-of-chemical-compounds-associated-with-sclerites-from-healthy-and-diseased-sea-fan-corals-Gorgonia-ventalina.pdf
},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3677},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-08-25},
urldate = {2017-08-25},
journal = {PeerJ},
volume = {10},
number = {3677},
pages = {1-12},
abstract = {The roles of gorgonian sclerites as structural components and predator deterrents have been widely studied. Yet their role as barriers against microbes has only recently been investigated, and even less is known about the diversity and roles of the chemical compounds associated with sclerites.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2016
@article{Toledo-Hernández2016,
title = {The role of sclerites in the defense against pathogens of the sea fan \textit{Gorgonia ventalina} (Octocorallia)},
author = {Carlos Toledo-Hernández and Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz and Luis Ramírez-Camejo and Raiza Paniagua and Alberto M. Sabat and Loretta Roberson and Paul Bayman},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022098116301058},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2016.06.002},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-06-01},
urldate = {2016-06-01},
journal = {Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology},
volume = {483},
pages = {20-24},
abstract = {Sessile organisms such as octocorals cannot avoid threats such as predation, parasitism or fungal infections through evasive responses. Instead, they rely on strategies that deter or reduce the impact of these threats. One such strategy is the development of hard structures such as sclerites, which are minute calcium carbonate skeletal elements located on top of the ectoderm and within the mesoglea and gastrodermal tube walls. Sclerites have multiple roles, including structural support of the colony and protection from predators. The role of sclerites as a physical barrier that deters fungal infection, however, is unknown. This study examines the potential role of sea fan sclerites as protection from fungal infection. To accomplish this, four different fungi isolated from healthy sea fans were inoculated into 5 mL tubes filled with culture media and with sclerites from healthy and diseased fans placed on top. To determine whether chemical compounds in the sclerites impact infection, sclerites from healthy and diseased fans were extracted for several days with acetone prior to inoculation. Results showed that the sclerite layer delayed fungal infection from reaching the agar when compared to controls (tubes with agar but no sclerites). There was no difference between tubes with healthy and diseased sclerites, but there were differences among sclerites extracted with acetone. This study suggests that, in addition to the roles in structural support and predator deterrence, sclerites play a role as physical and chemical barriers against to fungal infection.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
@article{Ruiz-Diaz2016,
title = {Scraping and extirpating: two strategies to induce recovery of diseased \textit{Gorgonia ventalina} sea fans},
author = {Claudia Patricia Ruiz-Diaz and Carlos Toledo-Hernández and Alex E. Mercado-Molina and Alberto M. Sabat},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/maec.12283
https://www.sampr.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Ruiz-Diaz_et_al-2016-Marine_Ecology.pdf},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.12283},
issn = {0173-9565},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-27},
urldate = {2016-01-01},
journal = {Marine Ecology},
volume = {37},
issue = {2},
pages = {336-343},
abstract = {Coral diseases are currently playing a major role in the worldwide decline in coral reef integrity. One of the coral species most afflicted by disease in the Caribbean, and which has been the focus of much research, is the sea fan Gorgonia ventalina. There is, however, very little information regarding the capacity of sea fans to recover after being infected. The aim of this study was to compare the rehabilitation capacity of G. ventalina after diseased-induced lesions were eliminated either by scraping or extirpating the affected area. Scraping consisted of removing any organisms overgrowing the axial skeleton from the diseased area as well as the purple tissue bordering these overgrowths using metal bristle brushes. Extirpation consisted of cutting the diseased area, including the surrounding purpled tissue, using scissors. The number of scraped colonies that fully or partially rehabilitated after being manipulated and the rates at which the sea fans whose lesions were scrapped grew back healthy tissue were compared among: (i) colonies that inhabited two sites with contrasting environmental conditions; (ii) colonies of different sizes and (iii) colonies with different ratios of area of legions to total colony area (LA/CA). Both strategies proved to be very successful in eliminating lesions from sea fans. In the case of scraping, over 51% of the colonies recovered between 80% and 100% of the lost tissue within 16 months. The number of colonies that recovered from scraping was similar among sites and among colony sizes, but differed significantly depending on the relative amount of lesion to colony area (LA/CA). When lesions were extirpated, lesions did not reappear in any of the colonies. We conclude that lesion scraping is useful for eliminating relatively small lesions (i.e. LA/CA < 10%), as these are likely to recover in a shorter period of time, whereas for relatively large lesions (LA/CA ≥ 10%) it is more appropriate to extirpate the lesion.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
@article{Ruiz-Diaz2016b,
title = {The role of coral colony health state in the recovery of lesions},
author = {Claudia P. Ruiz-Diaz and Carlos Toledo-Hernandez and Alex E. Mercado-Molina and María-Eglée Pérez and Alberto M. Sabat},
url = {https://www.sampr.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Ruiz-Diazetal2016.pdf
https://peerj.com/articles/1531/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26788423/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289376592_The_role_of_coral_colony_health_state_in_the_recovery_of_lesions},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1531},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-05},
urldate = {2016-01-12},
journal = {Peer J},
pages = {1-13},
abstract = {Coral disease literature has focused, for the most part, on the etiology of the more than 35 coral afflictions currently described. Much less understood are the factors that underpin the capacity of corals to regenerate lesions, including the role of colony health. This lack of knowledge with respect to the factors that influence tissue regeneration significantly limits our understanding of the impact of diseases at the colony, population, and community level. In this study, we experimentally compared tissue regeneration capacity of diseased versus healthy fragments of Gorgonia ventalina colonies at 5 m and 12 m of depth. We found that the initial health state of colonies (i.e., diseased or healthy) had a significant effect on tissue regeneration (healing). All healthy fragments exhibited full recovery regardless of depth treatment, while diseased fragments did not. Our results suggest that being diseased or healthy has a significant effect on the capacity of a sea fan colony to repair tissue, but that environmental factors associated with changes in depth, such as temperature and light, do not. We conclude that disease doesn’t just compromise vital functions such as growth and reproduction in corals but also compromises their capacity to regenerate tissue and heal lesions.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}