A Rhizocephalan Parasite Induces Pervasive Effects on Its Shrimp Host.

AbstractRhizocephalan barnacles are parasites of crustaceans that are known for dramatic effects on hosts, including parasitic castration, feminization, molt inhibition, and the facilitation of epibiosis. Most research on rhizocephalans has focused on carcinized hosts, with relatively little research directed to shrimp hosts that may experience distinct consequences of infection. Here, we describe a high-prevalence rhizocephalan-shrimp system in which multiple host changes are associated with infection: the dock shrimp infected by the rhizocephalan .

Increases and decreases in marine disease reports in an era of global change.

Outbreaks of marine infectious diseases have caused widespread mass mortalities, but the lack of baseline data has precluded evaluating whether disease is increasing or decreasing in the ocean. We use an established literature proxy method from Ward and Lafferty (Ward and Lafferty 2004 , e120 (doi:10.1371/journal.

Devastating Transboundary Impacts of Sea Star Wasting Disease on Subtidal Asteroids.

Sea star wasting disease devastated intertidal sea star populations from Mexico to Alaska between 2013-15, but little detail is known about its impacts to subtidal species. We assessed the impacts of sea star wasting disease in the Salish Sea, a Canadian / United States transboundary marine ecosystem, and world-wide hotspot for temperate asteroid species diversity with a high degree of endemism. We analyzed roving diver survey data for the three most common subtidal sea star species collected by trained volunteer scuba divers between 2006-15 in 5 basins and on the outer coast of Washington, as well as scientific strip transect data for 11 common subtidal asteroid taxa collected by scientific divers in the San Juan Islands during the spring/summer of 2014 and 2015.

Ochre star mortality during the 2014 wasting disease epizootic: role of population size structure and temperature.

Over 20 species of asteroids were devastated by a sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epizootic, linked to a densovirus, from Mexico to Alaska in 2013 and 2014. For Pisaster ochraceus from the San Juan Islands, South Puget Sound and Washington outer coast, time-series monitoring showed rapid disease spread, high mortality rates in 2014, and continuing levels of wasting in the survivors in 2015. Peak prevalence of disease at 16 sites ranged to 100%, with an overall mean of 61%.

Linking sewage pollution and water quality to spatial patterns of Porites lobata growth anomalies in Puako, Hawaii.

Sewage pollution threatens the health of coastal populations and ecosystems, including coral reefs. We investigated spatial patterns of sewage pollution in Puako, Hawaii using enterococci concentrations and δ(15)N Ulva fasciata macroalgal bioassays to assess relationships with the coral disease Porites lobata growth anomalies (PGAs). PGA severity and enterococci concentrations were high, spatially variable, and positively related.

Up in Arms: Immune and Nervous System Response to Sea Star Wasting Disease.

Echinoderms, positioned taxonomically at the base of deuterostomes, provide an important system for the study of the evolution of the immune system. However, there is little known about the cellular components and genes associated with echinoderm immunity. The 2013-2014 sea star wasting disease outbreak is an emergent, rapidly spreading disease, which has led to large population declines of asteroids in the North American Pacific.