The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides): a roadmap to recovery following a disease-driven mass mortality
Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
The prevalence of disease-driven mass mortality events is increasing, but our understanding of spatial variation in their magnitude, timing and triggers are often unresolved. The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is a keystone predator that recently experienced mass mortality, due to a marine heat wave and sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epidemic, throughout its range from northern Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska. However, a greater percentage of the population was lost in the southern half of that range. Pycnopodia now appears to be functionally extinct (> 99.2% declines) from Baja California to Cape Flattery, Washington and exhibited severe declines (> 87.8%) from the Salish Sea to Alaska. These sharp declines led to the species being listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN in 2020. An international, collaborative ‘Pycnopodia Working Group’ was formed to highlight key information gaps, inform potential conservation interventions, identify funding opportunities, and facilitate networking. Furthermore, a ‘Pycnopodia Roadmap to Recovery’ has been developed to catalyze actions and secure funding to achieve recovery goals. Several recovery actions currently in progress include research to: 1) determine whether and which unidentified causative agent(s) are driving SSWD; 2) discover genomic variants associated with vulnerability to wasting and temperature stress; and 3) develop captive rearing and reintroduction protocols. Since there are patchy remnant populations of Pycnopodia in the Salish Sea and northward, this area will likely be at the forefront of supporting recovery efforts throughout their previously occupied range. Our efforts to gather basic data on ecological functions across life history stages of Pycnopodia underscore the dearth of data for many marine taxa. In times of rapidly changing ocean conditions, the plight of Pycnopodia highlights the importance of enhancing long-term monitoring programs to allow us to better monitor, maintain and strengthen the resilience of marine ecosystems.
Session Title
Sunflower Sea Star - Roadmap to Recovery (Panel)
Conference Track
SSE3: The Circle of Life
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-panels-292
Start Date
27-4-2022 9:45 AM
End Date
27-4-2022 11:15 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Pycnopodia helianthoides--Mortality--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Environmental monitoring--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
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.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides): a roadmap to recovery following a disease-driven mass mortality
The prevalence of disease-driven mass mortality events is increasing, but our understanding of spatial variation in their magnitude, timing and triggers are often unresolved. The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is a keystone predator that recently experienced mass mortality, due to a marine heat wave and sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epidemic, throughout its range from northern Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska. However, a greater percentage of the population was lost in the southern half of that range. Pycnopodia now appears to be functionally extinct (> 99.2% declines) from Baja California to Cape Flattery, Washington and exhibited severe declines (> 87.8%) from the Salish Sea to Alaska. These sharp declines led to the species being listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN in 2020. An international, collaborative ‘Pycnopodia Working Group’ was formed to highlight key information gaps, inform potential conservation interventions, identify funding opportunities, and facilitate networking. Furthermore, a ‘Pycnopodia Roadmap to Recovery’ has been developed to catalyze actions and secure funding to achieve recovery goals. Several recovery actions currently in progress include research to: 1) determine whether and which unidentified causative agent(s) are driving SSWD; 2) discover genomic variants associated with vulnerability to wasting and temperature stress; and 3) develop captive rearing and reintroduction protocols. Since there are patchy remnant populations of Pycnopodia in the Salish Sea and northward, this area will likely be at the forefront of supporting recovery efforts throughout their previously occupied range. Our efforts to gather basic data on ecological functions across life history stages of Pycnopodia underscore the dearth of data for many marine taxa. In times of rapidly changing ocean conditions, the plight of Pycnopodia highlights the importance of enhancing long-term monitoring programs to allow us to better monitor, maintain and strengthen the resilience of marine ecosystems.
