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Effects of temperature, season and locality on wasting disease in the keystone predatory sea star Pisaster ochraceus

Effects of temperature, season and locality on wasting disease in the keystone predatory sea star Pisaster ochraceus
Effects of temperature, season and locality on wasting disease in the keystone predatory sea star Pisaster ochraceus
This study investigates wasting disease in the northeast Pacific keystone predatory sea star Pisaster ochraceus on the outer west coast of Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada). To quantify the effects of temperature, season and locality on the vulnerability of P. ochraceus to wasting disease, we conducted surveys and experiments in early and late summer. To test the prediction that a small increase in temperature would result in heightened infection intensities, we housed sea stars at different temperatures in the laboratory and caged sea stars subtidally at 2 depths. Prevalence and infection intensity were always higher in warm temperature treatments and did not differ between the sexes or with increasing size. Disease effects also varied with season and locality. Specimens held in aquaria displayed significantly higher disease prevalence and infection intensity in June versus August. Furthermore, sea stars from a sheltered inlet showed markedly higher prevalence of the disease in late summer, while wave- exposed sites had consistently low disease prevalence. Seasonal changes in reproductive potential, host condition and/or physiological acclimation, as well as differences in environmental regime among localities, may impact the dynamics of wasting disease. These results demonstrate that small increases in temperature could drive mass mortalities of Pisaster due to wasting disease, with vulnerability possibly reaching a peak in spring and in populations from sheltered localities. This is the most northern report of wasting disease in the class Asteroidea on the west coast of North America.
Global warming, Temperature, Wasting disease, Pisaster ochraceus, Echinoderm
0177-5103
245-251
Bates, A.E.
a96e267d-6d22-4232-b7ed-ce4e448a2a34
Hilton, B.J.
dc3476e3-3c77-4783-854b-a2053f49ed29
Harley, C.D.G.
334d666d-5f1c-4ac1-8b8b-bbf36a32538d
Bates, A.E.
a96e267d-6d22-4232-b7ed-ce4e448a2a34
Hilton, B.J.
dc3476e3-3c77-4783-854b-a2053f49ed29
Harley, C.D.G.
334d666d-5f1c-4ac1-8b8b-bbf36a32538d

Bates, A.E., Hilton, B.J. and Harley, C.D.G. (2009) Effects of temperature, season and locality on wasting disease in the keystone predatory sea star Pisaster ochraceus. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 86, 245-251. (doi:10.3354/dao02125).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study investigates wasting disease in the northeast Pacific keystone predatory sea star Pisaster ochraceus on the outer west coast of Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada). To quantify the effects of temperature, season and locality on the vulnerability of P. ochraceus to wasting disease, we conducted surveys and experiments in early and late summer. To test the prediction that a small increase in temperature would result in heightened infection intensities, we housed sea stars at different temperatures in the laboratory and caged sea stars subtidally at 2 depths. Prevalence and infection intensity were always higher in warm temperature treatments and did not differ between the sexes or with increasing size. Disease effects also varied with season and locality. Specimens held in aquaria displayed significantly higher disease prevalence and infection intensity in June versus August. Furthermore, sea stars from a sheltered inlet showed markedly higher prevalence of the disease in late summer, while wave- exposed sites had consistently low disease prevalence. Seasonal changes in reproductive potential, host condition and/or physiological acclimation, as well as differences in environmental regime among localities, may impact the dynamics of wasting disease. These results demonstrate that small increases in temperature could drive mass mortalities of Pisaster due to wasting disease, with vulnerability possibly reaching a peak in spring and in populations from sheltered localities. This is the most northern report of wasting disease in the class Asteroidea on the west coast of North America.

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More information

Published date: 9 November 2009
Keywords: Global warming, Temperature, Wasting disease, Pisaster ochraceus, Echinoderm
Organisations: Ocean and Earth Science

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 361235
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/361235
ISSN: 0177-5103
PURE UUID: 329793e2-2423-4115-9529-0e6dff6e44f7

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Date deposited: 15 Jan 2014 14:56
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 15:47

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Contributors

Author: A.E. Bates
Author: B.J. Hilton
Author: C.D.G. Harley

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