A new disease in reef-dwelling Foraminifera; implications for coastal sedimentation

A new disease is afflicting Amphistegina spp., foraminifera whose shells produce up to 90% of the sand-sized sediments in nearshore zones of some Indo-Pacific islands. Disease symptoms have been prevalent in A. gibbosa in the Florida Keys since summer 1991, and were seen in both Caribbean and Indo-Pacific species in 1992-93. Although cause of the disease is undetermined, field and laboratory data indicate that solar irradiance may be a factor. Whatever the cause, implications for coastal sedimentation will be serious if Indo-Pacific populations ever sustain long-term damage of the magnitude seen in the Florida Keys in 1992-93.