Ocean Lecture Series

Who Slimed My Coral? Emerging Coral Diseases and Their Impact on Reef Ecosystems
Joshua Voss

About the Lecture

The world's coral reef communities are not only areas of exquisite beauty, but also ecologically and economically important. Coral reefs are experiencing a severe decline, with losses of coral cover estimated to be 27% worldwide and 80% in the wider Caribbean. Recent studies have demonstrated that the number of coral diseases, the coral species they infect, the number of reported cases, and the range over which they are distributed have all increased substantially in the past three decades. However, little is known regarding the spread of coral diseases or the conditions that promote coral infection.

The newly established Robertson Coral Reef Program (RCRP) is dedicated to understanding and preventing losses in both shallow and deep water coral communities that result from natural and anthropogenic causes. RCRP researchers are working to 1) identify the links among environment conditions, coral stress, and diseases; 2) create diagnostic tools and protocols that can be used to assess coral health; 3) track and predict the impacts of coral diseases on reef ecosystems in the near and long-term; 4) train students, researchers, and managers in advanced molecular techniques for quantifying coral health. This lecture will focus  on emerging coral diseases and their dramatic negative impacts on coral communities. Joshua Voss will present results from ongoing RCRP research projects in the Florida Keys and Bahamas. In addition, he will discuss ways in which we can all help to protect our valuable coral reef ecosystems.

About the Speaker

Joshua Voss is a Research Associate in Harbor Branch’s Robertson Coral Reef Program. He has 9 years of experience in coral reef ecology, focusing on coral health and the environmental factors that influence coral degradation in the wider Caribbean. His research integrates experimental and field monitoring approaches with advanced molecular techniques to understand the short- and long-term effects of stress and disease on coral physiology and ecology. The goal of this work is to understand the patterns and mechanisms of disease impact on corals to facilitate informed, effective management of coral ecosystems.

Josh has over 800 scientific dives primarily in the Bahamas, Florida Keys, and Dry Tortugas with additional investigations in Panama, Curacao, Bonaire, Dominica, USVI, and St. Eustatius. He previously held visiting appointments as a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Fellow in Panama and as a Perry Institute for Marine Science Research Fellow in the Bahamas. Josh currently serves as co-principle investigator on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary annual Coral Condition Cruise and as an instructor in Harbor Branch’s Semester by the Sea Program.

After growing up on the beaches of central Florida near Orlando, Josh attended Elon University in North Carolina and completed a B.S. in biology along with minors in philosophy and chemistry. He earned his Ph.D. at Florida International University in Miami, and was a member of the marine science faculty at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg before accepting his current position at Harbor Branch.