The Indo-Pacific zooxanthellate scleractinian coral genus Montipora is the host of many coral diseases. Among these are cyanobacterial Black Band Disease (BBD) and Skeletal Growth Anomalies (GAs), but in general data on both diseases are lacking from many regions of the Indo-Pacific, including from Okinawa, southern Japan. In this study, we collected annual prevalence data of Black Band Disease (BBD) and Skeletal Growth Anomalies (GAs) affecting the encrusting form of genus Montipora within the shallow reefs of the subtropical Sesoko Island (off the central west coast of Okinawajima Island) from summer to autumn for four years (2017 to 2020). In 2020 Montipora percent coverage and colony count were also assessed. Generalized Linear Models (GLM) were used to understand the spatial and temporal variation of both BBD and GAs in the nearshore (NE) and reef edge (RE) sites, which revealed higher probability of BBD occurrence in RE sites. BBD prevalence was significantly higher in 2017 in some sites than all other years with site S12 having significant higher probability during all four surveyed years. In terms of GAs, certain sites in 2020 had higher probability of occurrence than during the other years. While the general trend of GAs increased from 2017 to 2020, it was observed to be non-fatal to colonies. In both diseases, the interaction between sites and years was significant. We also observed certain BBD-infected colonies escaping complete mortality. BBD progression rates were monitored in 2020 at site S4, and progression was related to seawater temperatures and was suppressed during periods of heavy rain and large strong typhoons. Our results suggest that higher BBD progression rates are linked with high sea water temperatures (SST > bleaching threshold SST) and higher light levels (>1400 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹), indicating the need for further controlled laboratory experiments. The current research will help form the basis for continued future research into these diseases and their causes in Okinawa and the Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Photographic evidence of some important coral diseases (black band disease, black disease/Terpios hoshinota, white syndrome, pink line syndrome, pink spots, invertebrate galls, skeletal growth anomalies, tissue loss), coral competing sponges, and coral–algal phase shifts (competitive overgrowth of the seaweed Caulerpa spp. over corals and competitive scleractinian interactions such as with Halimeda spp.) have been collected during field observations in a few atolls within the Lakshadweep archipelago, Arabian Sea. Further, earlier reports of similar diseases and other stressors within the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and its contiguous international waters, including the reefs of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, are highlighted and their distributional ranges are shown.

Our study documents the outbreak of a coral-killing sponge Terpios hoshinota in the coral reefs of Lakshadweep archipelago and highlights that it has further extended its territory into the isolated atolls of Arabian Sea and maybe a growing threat to the existing coral reefs in the region.

This study evaluated the occurrence of microplastics in roadside soils in Port Harcourt and Elele, Rivers State, Nigeria. Topsoil samples were collected from three major road networks in Rivers State (Port Harcourt city internal roads, Port Harcourt to Elele Road, and Elele to Owerri road). Microplastics were extracted from the samples using density separation and quantified via microscopy. Microplastic abundances in the samples ranged from 3 particles/50 gram - 20 particles/50 gram. The highest number of microplastic particles were found on roads with the highest traffic density. Secondary microplastics were most abundant in the samples as fragments constituted 69% of the total plastics and made up 67%, 73% and 70% of Port Harcourt internal roads, Port Harcourt to Elele road and Elele to Owerri road, respectively. This study presents baseline data on microplastics in roadside soils in an urban Nigerian city and highlights the contribution of road traffic and vehicles to both terrestrial and aquatic microplastics as well as the need for routine monitoring in order to mitigate plastic pollution.