Imapct - Fall 2024

The need to protect rocky shorelines A 15-year study revealed significant changes in the organisms living along the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest, impacted by a marine heatwave and a sea star wasting disease epidemic. Findings were published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. During the NSF-funded study, sessile invertebrates like mussels and barnacles increased, while seaweeds, including kelps, declined. This shift occurred following the loss of adult ochre sea stars and during a three-year period of extremely warm water temperatures. Sea stars typically control mussel and barnacle populations, preventing them from dominating lower elevations. Additionally, many kelps did not survive the thermal stress. Lead author Zechariah Meunier, a biology doctoral graduate, along with professors Sally Hacker and Bruce Menge, noted that even after the epidemic ended and temperatures cooled, the rocky shore communities did not revert to their original state. This suggests that these ecosystems have low resilience to both temperature changes and predator population shifts. The scientists highlight the importance of healthy marine ecosystems, which play critical roles in oxygen production and carbon dioxide absorption. They emphasize that climate change and pollution are combining to create unprecedented stressors, such as harmful algal blooms, ocean acidification and hypoxia, leading to potential regime shifts in marine habitats. Despite these challenges, there is hope as adult ochre sea stars are currently recovering, which may help control barnacle and mussel populations in the future. May Nyman Zechariah Meunier Jamie Cornelius Mas Subramanian Phia Morton RESEARCH Discover

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==