Document Type
Vignette
Publication Date
5-2021
Keywords
State of the Salish Sea, Salish Sea, climate change, eelgrass, wasting disease, Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, outbreak, ecosystem
Abstract
Rising seawater temperatures can increase the risk of disease outbreaks in many taxa. Pathogens are potentially the ultimate keystone species in that their small biomass can have massive impacts that ripple through ecosystems. Disease outbreaks can be particularly damaging when they affect ecosystem engineers, such as seagrasses. Outbreaks of wasting disease in seagrasses are one of a myriad of stressors associated with declining temperate and tropical seagrass meadows around the globe. Levels of eelgrass wasting disease are high in the San Juan Islands and Puget Sound. These increasing levels of disease are a threat to sustainability of eelgrass meadows, our most valuable marine habitat.
Publication Title
State of the Salish Sea
First Page
142
Last Page
143
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25710/vfhb-3a69
Sponsorship/Conference/Institution
Salish Sea Institute
Recommended Citation
Graham, O; Eisenlord, M; Harvell, D. (2021). Eelgrass Wasting Disease. In K.L. Sobocinski, State of the Salish Sea. Salish Sea Institute, Western Washington University. http://doi.org/10.25710/vfhb-3a69
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Biology Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Pathogenic Microbiology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons