Kristin Spoto

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gilchrist, Sandra

Area of Concentration

Natural Sciences

Abstract

Coral reefs are some of the Earth’s most highly diverse ecosystems, housing millions of organisms. The organisms most important to coral reefs second to the reef building coral are the soft corals, which provide a source of food, habitat, nutrient cycling as well as other benefits to the organisms living on the reefs. These soft corals, including gorgonians, are sensitive and experiencing an increasing rate of disease and mortality worldwide. One such disease is a pathogenic fungus called Aspergillus sydowii and has seen to be prominent amongst Gorgonia ventalina, the sea fan. Mechanisms of fungal infection are not certain at this point, but have been hypothesized to either pathogenic fungal particles in the water column infecting healthy fans, or a vector, the gastropod Cyphoma gibbosum, transmitting fungal spores to new sea fans. A survey was conducted in Cayos Cochinos, Honduras in July 2017 to investigate the role of Cyphoma gibbosum in pathogen transmission. By the end of the survey, it was noted that all Gorgonia ventalina that had a resident Cyphoma gibbosum for at least 2 days had developed novel signs of an Aspergillus infection.

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