Health status and species of each coral sample taken in the Caribbean during 2013 (Contagious coral diseases project)

<p>Coral disease transmission experiments were completed for dark-spot syndrome on Sidereastrea siderea&nbsp;and yellow-band disease on Orbicella faveolata, as described in Randall et al. 2016.&nbsp;Following experimentation, microbial communities were extracted from tissue samples to determine whether any&nbsp;potential pathogen may have transmitted from healthy to exposed corals. Microbial communities on healthy corals&nbsp;were compared with diseased corals to identify any potential pathogens.</p>

<p>Experimental diseased and healthy corals were sampled and their microbial communities were analyzed using 454 Illumina pyrosequencing&nbsp;of the amplified 16S rRNA gene on the V1-V3&nbsp;hypervariable region.</p>