The Effects of Combined

We are using a novel cellular diagnostic system (CDS) to assess the physiological statusof corals by assaying specific parameters of cellular physiology. In a recent series of papers, wedemonstrated how this technology can be used to characterize coral health. In laboratory studies,diagnostic cellular parameters distinguished the separate and combined effects of heat and lighton a star coral (Montastraea faveolata) and its symbiont (zooxanthellae), and provided evidencethat oxidative stress plays a central role in bleaching. In defined areas of south Florida (BiscayneNational Park) and the upper Florida Keys, colonies of M. annularis showed a strong correlationbetween oxidative stress parameters and bleaching. Under non-bleaching conditions, analysis ofthese colonies provided evidence for local stressor effects and possible types of stressors. Thusthe CDS is allowing us to (1) diagnose whether corals are physiologically stressed, (2)discriminate between global-level stressors (e.g., El Nino/La Nina effects) and local-levelstressors (e.g., agricultural runoff) and (3) possibly predict the condition of corals several monthsbefore more obvious symptoms appear (e.g., coral bleaching or coral death).