Local Coral Effected Spread of MFPS disease St Maarten
Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA)
6-JAN-2025 – A recent study investigated the spread of a disease affecting sea fans in the Dutch Caribbean. The disease, known as multifocal purple spots syndrome (MFPS), is caused by parasitic copepods and has significant health implications for the sea fan species Gorgonia ventalina.
Understanding the cause of this disease will help protect these important marine habitats. Caribbean sea fans play a major role in maintaining healthy coral reef ecosystems. However, climate change and rising sea temperatures are making these corals more vulnerable to diseases such as MFPS. The syndrome is characterized by small purple spots that form lesions on the sea fans, leading to tissue damage. Until now, the exact cause of the disease has been unclear, making it difficult to control and prevent its spread.
Who conducted the research?
An international team of scientists from Lomonosov Moscow State University, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, University of Groningen, University of the Ryukyus and the University of Havana, among others, conducted this study. They collected samples between 2015 and 2019 at locations in the Caribbean, including Sint Eustatius, Curacao, Bonaire and Cuba. Using molecular techniques, the researchers identified the copepods responsible for the disease.
Key Findings
The study found that copepods of the genus Sphaerippe are the cause of MFPS in sea fans. These copepods create galls in the coral tissue where they live and reproduce. The research found that different species of copepods are present in different locations in the Caribbean and that these species are often difficult to distinguish from each other without molecular techniques. The findings also highlighted how variations in larval distribution may explain the spread of the disease in different regions.
Why is this important?
Sea fans are crucial to coral reef biodiversity and their decline can have a knock-on effect on the entire marine ecosystem. Protecting sea fans from diseases like MFPS is important, not only for the health of coral reefs in the Dutch Caribbean, but also for the broader goal of conserving marine life in a changing climate.
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