Spread of Diadema Mass Mortality through the Caribbean

Populations of the ecologically important sea urchin Diadema antillarum suffered severe mass mortalities throughout the Caribbean. This mortality was first observed at Panama in January 1983; by January 1984 it had spread to the rest of the Caribbean and to Bermuda. The sequence of mortality events...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScience (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 226; no. 4672; pp. 335 - 337
Main Authors Lessios, H. A., Robertson, D. R., Cubit, J. D.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 19.10.1984
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Subjects
Coasts
Coral reefs
Die off
Keys
Marine animals
Marine biology
Marine ecology
Marine fauna
Mortality
Ocean currents
Pathogens
Sea urchins
Surface water
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Summary:Populations of the ecologically important sea urchin Diadema antillarum suffered severe mass mortalities throughout the Caribbean. This mortality was first observed at Panama in January 1983; by January 1984 it had spread to the rest of the Caribbean and to Bermuda. The sequence of mortality events in most areas is consistent with the hypothesis that the causative agent was dispersed by major surface currents over large distances. However, some of the late die-offs in the southeastern Caribbean do not fit this pattern. Several lines of indirect evidence suggest that the phenomenon is due to a water-borne pathogen. If so, this is the most extensive epidemic documented for a marine invertebrate.
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ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.226.4672.335