Disease epidemic and a marine heat wave are associated with the continental-scale collapse of a pivotal predator (Pycnopodia helianthoides)

Harvell, C. D., Montecino-Latorre, D., Caldwell, J. M., Burt, J. M., Bosley, K., Keller, A., Heron, S. F., Salomon, A. K., Lee, L., Pontier, O., Pattengill-Semmens, C., and Gaydos, J. K. (2019) Disease epidemic and a marine heat wave are associated with the continental-scale collapse of a pivotal predator (Pycnopodia helianthoides). Science Advances, 5. eaau7042.

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DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau7042

View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau7042

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Abstract

Multihost infectious disease outbreaks have endangered wildlife, causing extinction of frogs and endemic birds, and widespread declines of bats, corals, and abalone. Since 2013, a sea star wasting disease has affected > 20 sea star species from Mexico to Alaska. The common, predatory sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides), shown to be highly susceptible to sea star wasting disease, has been extirpated across most of its range. Diver surveys conducted in shallow nearshore waters (n = 10,956; 2006-2017) from California to Alaska and deep offshore (55 to 1280 m) trawl surveys from California to Washington (n = 8968; 2004-2016) reveal 80 to 100% declines across a similar to 3000-km range. Furthermore, timing of peak declines in nearshore waters coincided with anomalously warm sea surface temperatures. The rapid, widespread decline of this pivotal subtidal predator threatens its persistence and may have large ecosystem-level consequences.


Item ID:	57178
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2375-2548
Copyright Information:	Copyright © 2019 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC).
Funders:	SeaDoc Society, USA, Seattle Aquarium, NSF, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation, NOAA Ocean Remote Sensing Program, Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
Research Data:	https://10.6084/m9.figshare.7300409, https://github.com/jms5151/SSWD
Date Deposited:	20 Feb 2019 07:51
FoR Codes:	51 PHYSICAL SCIENCES > 5103 Classical physics > 510399 Classical physics not elsewhere classified @ 50% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4101 Climate change impacts and adaptation > 410102 Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation @ 50%
SEO Codes:	96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960507 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Marine Environments @ 50% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9603 Climate and Climate Change > 960310 Global Effects of Climate Change and Variability (excl. Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and the South Pacific) @ 50%
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