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Abstract
White band disease (WBD) ravaged Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral) on many coral reefs in the Caribbean in the late 1970’s and 1980’s, including those around St. John and St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands—USVI (Gladfelter 1982, Rogers 1985). Quantitative data, photographs, and anecdotal observations indicate WBD killed large stands of elkhorn coral in the USVI from about 1976 until sometime in the late 1980’s. Branching Acroporid species, which are most susceptible to WBD, are also the most vulnerable to storm damage (Rogers et al. 1982). Since 1979, eight hurricanes have passed near or over the USVI. Because elkhorn coral contributed most of the living coral and determined the physical structure of many shallow reef zones, its demise dramatically altered many areas. But now, some of the reefs in the Virgin Islands once again have large, actively growing colonies of this important, reef-building species.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Is Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral) making a comeback in the Virgin Islands? |
| Series title | Reef Encounters |
| Volume | 27 |
| Year Published | 2000 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | International Society for Reef Studies |
| Contributing office(s) | Southeast Ecological Science Center |
| Description | 3 p. |
| First page | 15 |
| Last page | 17 |
| Country | Virgin Islands |
| Other Geospatial | Buck Island Reef National Monument, Saint Croix, St. John, Virgin Gorda |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |