Coral Bleaching - Rapid Tissue Necrosis

Rapid Tissue Necrosis (RTN) is a term used by home aquarium hobbyists to describe an illness of corals kept in captivity that bears striking similarities to coral bleaching observed in the marine environment. RTN occurs most often in members of the families Pocilloporidae (Pocillopora, Seriatopora, Stylophora, Madracis) and Acroporidae (Acropora, Anacropora, Montipora, etc.). The condition is characterized by the rapid sloughing of tissue from the base of the skeleton outward which, if left unchecked, can result in coral death in a period of hours to days. The disease is highly contagious and almost 100% lethal without intervention. We use RTN as a useful laboratory model for coral bleaching in the wild and are exploring the hypothesis that RTN is due to bacterial pathogenesis. The results of this study may have wide ranging benefits to the endangered marine reefs and ecosystems.