A marine epidemic that has killed over 20 different species of sea stars from Alaska to Mexico — the largest ever documented — has been happening over the past decade. Scientists have long sought the culprit and have finally identified it, according to a new study in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
The identified strain of Vibrio — the same bacterial genus that can cause cholera — has infected the sunflower sea star. The strain, V. pectenicida, can cause exterior lesions and melt the sea stars' tissues over a two-week process that eventually kills them.
“Understanding what led to the loss of the sunflower sea star is a key step in recovering this species and all the benefits that kelp forest ecosystems provide,” said Jono Wilson, the director of ocean science for The Nature Conservancy’s California chapter, in a press release.
In the past decade, the disease known as the sea ...
