Mystery pathogen is stripping sea #urchins of their flesh and turning them to skeletons — and it's spreading fast

A mysterious epidemic that began in the #Mediterranean at the start of the year looks set to wipe out all of the Mediterranean and #RedSea’s urchins, and possibly their #coral reefs too.

By Ben Turner, May 31, 2023

"Researchers spotted the first signs of the urchin plague in the Mediterranean Sea at the beginning of the year, when an invasive species of urchin began falling sick in waters around Greece and Turkey. From there, the disease appears to have spread southward through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea.

"Scientists are unsure of the exact disease causing the mass die-off, but they suspect it is a pathogenic ciliate parasite — a single-celled microorganism — which in 1983 eliminated the Caribbean’s entire sea urchin population. Before the parasite plague, the Caribbean was home to thriving tropical reefs, but since losing the sea urchins the reefs have been smothered by algal blooms that multiplied unchecked, blocking out sunlight and destroying around 90% of the region’s coral.

"The disease was only identified after a second wave hit the Caribbean in 2022, an event which gave scientists a second opportunity to study it.

"'The sea urchins are the reef's gardeners — they feed on the algae and prevent them from taking over and suffocating the corals that compete with them for sunlight,' Bronstein said. 'Unfortunately, these sea urchins no longer exist in the Gulf of Eilat [Aqaba] and are quickly disappearing from constantly expanding parts of the Red Sea further south.'

"The imperilment of the region’s corals is significant on both a local and global level. The Gulf of Aqaba is known for its numerous diving spots and is a popular tourist destination. And because the corals there evolved to high temperatures and salinity over millions of years, they are more resistant to climate change-driven temperature fluctuations that are killing off other coral reefs around the world."

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Extinction #Oceans
Read more: https://www.livescience.com/animals/mystery-pathogen-is-stripping-sea-urchins-of-their-flesh-and-turning-them-to-skeletons-and-its-spreading-fast

The cause of these infections has to do with the rise in ocean temperatures (link in comments). This is happening not just in the Caribbean, but the Black Sea and Red Sea (article in comments).

#Urchins are dying off across the #caribbean Scientists now know why

A type of single-celled microorganism associated with coral diseases is to blame

By Anna Gibbs, April 19, 2023

"#Scuticociliates are found across the world’s oceans. Given their ubiquity, it’s unknown what conditions may have allowed P. apodigitiformis to become so detrimental to the urchins. It’s also unclear how it causes infection."

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Extinction #Oceans

Read more:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/urchins-dying-off-caribbean-disease

Out of control Gen Zers and teenagers are recklessly careening down the streets of South #Boston in Stop & Shop carriages and Councilors Flynn and Flaherty demand an end to the foolishness at once #hooliganism #KidsTheseDays #rapscallions #urchins #barhoppers https://caughtinsouthie.com/news-politics/letter-to-stop-shop-re-shopping-cart-shenanigans-from-city-councilors-flynn-flaherty

Les nordistes, demain mon groupe #Urchins joue à Wargnies le Petit (à 15 mon De Valenciennes) en compagnie le Lazy : Le tribute à Noir Désir !
Si vous habitez dans coin et que vous aimez les frites la bière et le rock, alors venez ...