Turning up the Heat on Sea Star Wasting DIsease
Presentation Abstract
A sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epizootic linked to a densovirus devastated populations of Asteroidea over thousands of miles of the North American Pacific Coast in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Time series monitoring of the keystone intertidal species Pisaster ochraceus from the San Juan Islands, South Puget Sound, and Washington outer coast, showed rapid progression of the outbreak, extremely high mortality rates in 2014, and continuing levels of wasting in the survivors in 2015. Peak prevalence of disease and mortality at 16 sites ranged to 100%, with a mean of 61%. Analysis of field surveys showed strong size-specific and temperature-dependent disease risk. In laboratory experiments increased temperature accelerated disease progression and differentially affected adult and juvenile ochre stars. Warm temperature anomalies recorded in the summer of 2014 may have contributed to the rate and extent of SSWD impacts in the San Juan Islands. A subtidal species, Pycnopodia helianthoides, is more severely affected and currently undetected in our San Juan Island surveys and many diver reports from California to SE Alaska. This raises the question of what the longer term biodiversity impacts will be from this epizootic.
Session Title
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) and marine pathogens in a changing world
Conference Track
Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
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)
Pisaster ochraceus--Infections--Epidemiology--Washington (State); Starfishes--Infections--Epidemiology--Washington (State)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Washington (State)
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
Turning up the Heat on Sea Star Wasting DIsease
2016SSEC
A sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epizootic linked to a densovirus devastated populations of Asteroidea over thousands of miles of the North American Pacific Coast in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Time series monitoring of the keystone intertidal species Pisaster ochraceus from the San Juan Islands, South Puget Sound, and Washington outer coast, showed rapid progression of the outbreak, extremely high mortality rates in 2014, and continuing levels of wasting in the survivors in 2015. Peak prevalence of disease and mortality at 16 sites ranged to 100%, with a mean of 61%. Analysis of field surveys showed strong size-specific and temperature-dependent disease risk. In laboratory experiments increased temperature accelerated disease progression and differentially affected adult and juvenile ochre stars. Warm temperature anomalies recorded in the summer of 2014 may have contributed to the rate and extent of SSWD impacts in the San Juan Islands. A subtidal species, Pycnopodia helianthoides, is more severely affected and currently undetected in our San Juan Island surveys and many diver reports from California to SE Alaska. This raises the question of what the longer term biodiversity impacts will be from this epizootic.
