| Title | Sea star wasting disease in the keystone predator Pisaster ochraceus in Oregon: insights into differential population impacts, recovery, predation rate, and temperature effects from long-term research |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2016 |
| Authors | Menge, Bruce A., Elizabeth B. Cerny-Chipman, Angela Johnson, Jenna Sullivan, Sarah Gravem, and Francis Chan |
| Secondary Title | PLoS One |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Call Number | OSU Libraries: Digital Open Access |
| Keywords | Cape Meares, Fogarty Creek, Boiler Bay, Seal Rock, Yachats Beach, Strawberry Hill, Tokatee Klootchman, Cape Arago, Cape Blanco, Port Orford Head, Rocky Point, Ochre sea star = Pisaster ochraceus, California mussel = Mytilus californianus, community ecol |
| Notes | The Sea Star Wasting Disease episode of 2013-2015 was one of the largest marine epidemics ever recorded. At some sites, over 90% of sea stars were killed. This paper focuses on an important sea star in Oregon, the keystone predator, the ochre sea star Pisaster ochraceus. By feeding on mussels and barnacles, the ochre sea star creates space in the intertidal for other organisms, including kelp, chitons, anemones, limpets and sea urchins. Will the deaths of so many predators cause a rapid expansion of their prey? Will the structure of the intertidal zone be changed for many years? The authors suggest that there is a need “for detailed coast-wide investigation of the effects of this outbreak.” (from the Abstract) The causes of the outbreak are investigated, and detailed descriptions of environmental factors and population numbers are given. There is a link to an important correction associated with this article. |
| URL | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0153994 |
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0157302 |
| Series Title | PLOS ONE |
