Dataset: reef disease PR
Deployment: Coral_Bleaching_Dives_Weil

Sampling was conducted late in 2010 and January of 2011. Disease prevalence was estimated after normalizing the data collected. The condition (disease, bleached, injured, other) of each coral, octocoral, hydrocoral, sponge and zoanthid colony was checked along five 20 sqm permanent (hammered tagged stakes into reef structure) band transects in each of three depth intervals (habitats= 0-5, 7-12 and > 15m deep) at each one of two reefs in La Parguera.

Proportions of colonies in each group (scleractinians, hydrocorals, octocorals, CCA, etc) affected by each disease were calculated for each transect. Data was normalized and prevalence means were calculated for each habitat in each reef. From here, mean disease/bleaching prevalence could be calculated for each coral species (genera or the scleractinians as a whole) affected in each habitat, reef and geographic locality to test the hypotheses that disease and/or bleaching prevalence are similar across habitat within reefs, reefs within localities and across geographic localities, and that they were similar in 2009 and 2010.