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| Keywords: outdoor Here is a Pisaster ochraceus, or Ochre Sea Star, in the intertidal zone of the Kachemak Bay Estuary near Homer, Alaska. Pisaster sea stars were extremely common across the West Coast of the Pacific, but they were absolutely devastated by the sea-star wasting disease epidemic that occurred from 2013 to 2015. The Pacific Northwest was particularly hard hit, with many places losing nearly all of their Pisaster ochraceus and up to 95% of their total starfish. Thankfully, the disease has gone away for now, but it may very well pop up again in the future. Pisaster ochraceus is known as "keystone species" because they are a good indicator of the health of the intertidal zone. Small changes can have drastic effects on not only them but the entire zone as a whole. Sea-star wasting disease not only decimated Pisaster populations across North America, it wreaked havoc on the intertidal ecosystem as a whole. The Ochre Sea Star mainly feeds on California Mussels, so their populations skyrocketed when sea star wasting disease really took off in 2013. As a result, these mussels became overpopulated and prevented other invertebrates from getting the resources they needed to survive, decreasing the biodiversity of the ecosystem as a whole. Photo credit to Lynn Kurth of NOAA. Thank you Lynn! More info: teacheratsea.wordpress.com/2016/06/29/lynn-kurth-time-and... Here is a Pisaster ochraceus, or Ochre Sea Star, in the intertidal zone of the Kachemak Bay Estuary near Homer, Alaska. Pisaster sea stars were extremely common across the West Coast of the Pacific, but they were absolutely devastated by the sea-star wasting disease epidemic that occurred from 2013 to 2015. The Pacific Northwest was particularly hard hit, with many places losing nearly all of their Pisaster ochraceus and up to 95% of their total starfish. Thankfully, the disease has gone away for now, but it may very well pop up again in the future. Pisaster ochraceus is known as "keystone species" because they are a good indicator of the health of the intertidal zone. Small changes can have drastic effects on not only them but the entire zone as a whole. Sea-star wasting disease not only decimated Pisaster populations across North America, it wreaked havoc on the intertidal ecosystem as a whole. The Ochre Sea Star mainly feeds on California Mussels, so their populations skyrocketed when sea star wasting disease really took off in 2013. As a result, these mussels became overpopulated and prevented other invertebrates from getting the resources they needed to survive, decreasing the biodiversity of the ecosystem as a whole. Photo credit to Lynn Kurth of NOAA. Thank you Lynn! More info: teacheratsea.wordpress.com/2016/06/29/lynn-kurth-time-and... | ||||
