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Horizontal and vertical migration patterns of Phorrnidium corallyticum and Beggiatoa spp. associated with black-band disease of corals

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Abstract

An in situ field study of the motility patterns exhibited by Phormidium corallyticum and Beggiatoa spp. in black-band disease of corals was conducted over a 5-day period. Measurements were made at a spatial resolution of 50 μm to document the horizontal migration of black-band across living coral tissue, while vertical migrations within the band were documented by observation and macrophotography of the black-band surface. It was determined that horizontal migration occurred both day and night, with the fastest movements by the front of the band during the day and the back of the band at night. Beggiatoa would rise to the band surface at night, and would often remain above the cyanobacterial population during extended periods of illumination the following day. The migration patterns are discussed in terms of motility cues and microbial physiology.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences and Drinking Water Research Center, Florida International University, 33199, Miami, Florida, USA

    L. L. Richardson

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  1. L. L. Richardson
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Richardson, L.L. Horizontal and vertical migration patterns of Phorrnidium corallyticum and Beggiatoa spp. associated with black-band disease of corals. Microb Ecol 32, 323–335 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00183066

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