Coral disease prevalence, host susceptibility, and spatial patterns across inhabited and uninhabited atoll reefs in Lakshadweep

Krishnaveni, S M S and Sreenath, K R and Anto, Alvin and Raju, Aju K (2026) Coral disease prevalence, host susceptibility, and spatial patterns across inhabited and uninhabited atoll reefs in Lakshadweep. Aquatic Ecology, 60. pp. 1-23. ISSN 1573-5125

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Abstract

Coral diseases are major drivers of coral reef degradation that can hinder coral recovery following environmental disturbances. The Lakshadweep Islands, the only atoll reef system of India, have experienced multiple reef-health stressors, including recurrent thermal bleaching events, coastal development, domestic waste discharge, tourism-related activities, fishing pressure, sedimentation, and other lagoon-based human activities. However, quantitative information on coral disease prevalence, disease assemblages, and host susceptibility remains limited for this region. In the present study, coral disease prevalence was assessed at fifteen reef stations distributed across three regions representing different degrees of human influence: Kalpeni (inhabited), Sandbar (intermediate), and Cheriyam (uninhabited). Multiple coral diseases were observed across the surveyed reefs, with an overall coral disease prevalence of 22.99 ± 2.74%. Disease prevalence differed significantly among regions (p < 0.05), with comparatively higher prevalence recorded in inhabited Kalpeni, suggesting the possible influence of local human-associated stressors. Eight diseases were recorded: black-band disease (BBD), tissue loss syndrome (TLS), pink-line syndrome (PLS), yellow-band disease (YBD), white syndrome (WS), irregular white plaque (IWP), white-band disease (WBD), and skeletal-eroding band (SEB). These diseases were observed in ten scleractinian genera. Porites was affected by six diseases, followed by Pavona (five) and Favites (three), indicating comparatively higher susceptibility than the remaining genera. TLS was most prominent in Favites and Pavona, whereas PLS primarily affected Porites. Disease prevalence showed a strong negative correlation with coral cover in the inhabited Kalpeni region (Pearson’s r = − 0.63, p < 0.05), while coral diversity was positively correlated with disease prevalence across the three regions. This study provides key insights into coral disease assemblages in Lakshadweep and highlights the need for reef-health monitoring and region-specific conservation strategies.

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