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Publication
Sea urchin Diadema africanum mass mortality in the subtropical eastern Atlantic: role of waterborne bacteria in a warming ocean
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
A widespread mass mortality event of
the sea urchin Diadema africanum was detected
in the subtropical eastern Atlantic, extending from
Madeira to the Canary Islands, covering a straight line distance of >400 km. This is the first disease related die-off of a diadematid documented in the
eastern Atlantic Ocean. Diseased individuals showed
deterioration of the epidermis and water-vascular
system, resulting in epidermal necrosis and release
of spines. Despite some spatial heterogeneity in
disease incidence at the study sites, there was a
65% overall reduction in urchin abundance after the
mortality event compared to numbers pre-mortality.
However, the reduction in urchin numbers did not
compromise the species’ reproductive success; the
settlement peak following the mortality event was of
a similar magnitude to that in prior years. Bacterial
isolation and cul ture techniques, and subsequent
laboratory in fection experiments, strongly suggested
that Vibrio alginolyticus was involved in the disease.
We hypo thesize that the mass mortality event devel oped due to anomalously high seawater tempera tures recorded in the 2 studied archipelagos and that
warmer temperatures enabled infection of D. africa -
num by waterborne pathogenic bacteria. Fluctua tions in urchin populations are key in de termining
the structure and functioning of benthic ecosystems:
under the current seawater warming scenario, dis ease may result in more frequent phase shifts, aiding
the persistence of macroalgae.
Description
Keywords
Echinoids Diadematid Disease Widespread die-off Vibrio Infection experiments Canary Islands (Spain) Madeira (Portugal) . Faculdade de Ciências da Vida
Citation
Clemente, S., Lorenzo-Morales, J., Mendoza, J. C., López, C., Sangil, C., Alves, F., ... & Hernández, J. C. (2014). Sea urchin Diadema africanum mass mortality in the subtropical eastern Atlantic: role of waterborne bacteria in a warming ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 506, 1-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10829
Publisher
Inter Research