Patterns of Disease of the Purple Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, on the Olympic Peninsula, WA
Presentation Abstract
Many species of sea urchins within the genus, Strongylocentrotus, have been documented to suffer from disease. It is likely the causative agent is not the same for all urchin species because the urchins are found in different regions and the disease lesions are not all the same. This study focuses on two disease pathologies commonly known as black ring and red spot, found in the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The causative agent of this disease is currently unidentified and poorly understood. In this study, repeated cold and warm-season field surveys determined density, size structure and disease prevalence in purple sea urchin populations on the open coast and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Logistic regression analysis shows season and region were significantly related to disease prevalence. Higher levels of disease were found during the summer and within the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where the average density and mean size are the greatest. However, it is unclear from these data whether density and size are important drivers of disease dynamics. While the relationship between temperature and disease prevalence is limited, urchins are more likely to be recovering from disease in colder seawater temperatures.
Session Title
Session S-09E: Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Species: Threats and Conservation
Conference Track
Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus--Diseases--Washington (State)--Olympic Peninsula
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Olympic Peninsula (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Patterns of Disease of the Purple Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, on the Olympic Peninsula, WA
Room 6C
Many species of sea urchins within the genus, Strongylocentrotus, have been documented to suffer from disease. It is likely the causative agent is not the same for all urchin species because the urchins are found in different regions and the disease lesions are not all the same. This study focuses on two disease pathologies commonly known as black ring and red spot, found in the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The causative agent of this disease is currently unidentified and poorly understood. In this study, repeated cold and warm-season field surveys determined density, size structure and disease prevalence in purple sea urchin populations on the open coast and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Logistic regression analysis shows season and region were significantly related to disease prevalence. Higher levels of disease were found during the summer and within the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where the average density and mean size are the greatest. However, it is unclear from these data whether density and size are important drivers of disease dynamics. While the relationship between temperature and disease prevalence is limited, urchins are more likely to be recovering from disease in colder seawater temperatures.
