Abstract

In the Caribbean. disease outbreaks have emerged as significant drivers of coral mortality. The Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is a novel white plague disease first reported off the Florida coast in 2014. affecting >20 coral species. In December 2018. the SCTLD reached the SW coast of Cozumel. one of the healthiest reef systems in the Caribbean. In this study. we integrated data from multiple survey protocols conducted between July 2018 and April 2020 to track the progression of the outbreak in the SW Cozumel and to quantify the impacts of the SCTLD on coral communities and the benthic composition of reefs. We also investigated whether the coral bleaching event from Autumn 2019 further exacerbated coral mortality. Our findings showed that the SCTLD spread throughout the SW coast of Cozumel in only two months and reached a peak in five months. Species of the families Meandrinidae. Faviinae. and Montastraeidae reached between 33%-95% of mortality. The widespread coral die-off caused a significant decrease of coral cover followed by a rapid increase of algae. In November 2019. the thermal stress reached its maximum level; however. we did not find a significant increase in coral mortality; which suggests that coral communities were able to recover. despite being still affected by the SCTLD outbreak. The SCTLD is radically changing the ecology of coral reefs by decimating the populations of key reef-builders and reconfiguring the benthic assemblages. Restoration actions must be focused on fully addressing coral threats in order to improve the ecosystem resilience

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