Sea urchin killer spreads to new species and new region

By St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center March 29, 2024

The parasite that was identified as the cause of Diadema antillarum sea urchin mass mortality in the Caribbean in 2022 has been shown to be the cause of a die off in the Sea of Oman, affecting sibling-species Diadema setosum.

long-spined sea urchins on the seafloor. left urchin with spines intact. right is nearly bare surrounded by fallen spines — A healthy *Diadema antillarum* urchin is seen on the left with spines intact. On the right, another urchin is in the process of losing its spines—which usually occurs within 1-2 days of infection. The disease affects *D. setosum* similarly.

Researchers in Oman reported a mass mortality of D. setosum in 2023 in the Sea of Oman, and reached out to collaborate to find the cause. Infected environmental samples were confirmed by genomic tests to contain the same ciliate parasite that killed D. antillarum in 2022. Next, D. setosum obtained from the aquarium trade were challenged with the ciliate in a controlled experiment and demonstrated to be susceptible to the ciliate. This work was conducted at the University of South Florida and included USGS scientists Christina Kellogg and James Evans.

Read the article: "Transglobal spread of an ecologically relevant sea urchin parasite"

Read the USF College of Marine Science News article: "Sea urchin killer spreads to new species, region"

January 25, 2024

Diadema antillarum Mass Mortality

Diadema antillarum scuticociliatosis (DaSc) is an emerging infectious disease affecting sea urchins of the genus Diadema. Caused by a ciliate most closely related to Philaster apodigitiformis, the infection caused mass mortalities of urchins in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas in 2022-2023.

Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

January 25, 2024

Diadema antillarum Mass Mortality

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Image: Flat Cays, U.S. Virgin Islands Coral Reef

October 5, 2018

Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CREST)

The specific objectives of this project are to identify and describe the processes that are important in determining rates of coral-reef construction. How quickly the skeletons of calcifying organisms accumulate to form massive barrier-reef structure is determined by processes of both construction (how fast organisms grow and reproduce) and destruction (how fast reefs break down by mechanical...

Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Coral Microbial Ecology Laboratory

October 5, 2018

Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CREST)

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February 8, 2024

Transglobal spread of an ecologically relevant sea urchin parasite Transglobal spread of an ecologically relevant sea urchin parasite

Mass mortality of the dominant coral reef herbivore Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean in the early 1980s contributed to a persistent phase shift from coral- to algal-dominated reefs. In 2022, a scuticociliate most closely related to Philaster apodigitiformis caused further mass mortality of D. antillarum across the Caribbean, leading to >95% mortality at affected sites. Mortality was...

Authors

Isabella T. Ritchie, Brayan Vilanova-Cuevas, Ashley Altera, Kaileigh Cornfield, Ceri Evans, James S. Evans, Maria Hopson-Fernandes, Christina A. Kellogg, Elayne Looker, Oliver Taylor, Ian Hewson, Mya Breitbart

Environmental Health Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

April 19, 2023

A scuticociliate causes mass mortality of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean Sea A scuticociliate causes mass mortality of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean Sea

Echinoderm mass mortality events shape marine ecosystems by altering the dynamics among major benthic groups. The sea urchin Diadema antillarum, virtually extirpated in the Caribbean in the early 1980s by an unknown cause, recently experienced another mass mortality beginning in January 2022. We investigated the cause of this mass mortality event through combined molecular biological and

Authors

Ian Hewson, Isabella T. Ritchie, James S. Evans, Ashley Altera, Donald Behringer, Erin Bowman, Marilyn E. Brandt, Kayla A. Budd, Ruleo A. Camacho, Tomas O. Cornwell, Peter D. Countway, Aldo Croquer, Gabriel A. Delgado, Christopher M. DeRito, Elizabeth Duermit-Moreau, Ruth Francis-Floyd, Samuel Gittens, Leslie Henderson, Alwin Hylkema, Christina A. Kellogg, Yasu Kiryu, Kimani A. Kitson-Walters, Patricia Kramer, Judith C. Lang, Harilaos Lessios, Lauren Liddy, David Marancik, Stephen Nimrod, Joshua T. Patterson, Marit Pistor, Isabel C. Romero, Rita Sellares-Blasco, Moriah L. B. Sevier, William C. Sharp, Matthew Souza, Andreina Valdez-Trinidad, Marijn van der Laan, Brayan Vilanova-Cuevas, Maria Villalpando, Sarah D. Von Hoene, Matthew Warham, Tom Wijers, Stacey M. Williams, Thierry M. Work, Roy P. Yanong, Someira Zambrano, Alizee Zimmermann, Mya Breitbart

Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

February 8, 2022

Combining tangential flow filtration and size fractionation of mesocosm water as a method for the investigation of waterborne coral diseases Combining tangential flow filtration and size fractionation of mesocosm water as a method for the investigation of waterborne coral diseases

The causative agents of most coral diseases today remain unknown, complicating disease response and restoration efforts. Pathogen identifications can be hampered by complex microbial communities naturally associated with corals and seawater, which create complicating “background noise” that can potentially obscure a pathogen’s signal. Here, we outline an approach to investigate...

Authors

James S. Evans, Valerie J. Paul, Blake Ushijima, Christina A. Kellogg

Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Gulf of America