“Since 2013, 5.8 billion individuals of sunflower stars have been killed.”, – WRITE: www.unian.ua
Since 2013, 5.8 billion individuals of sunflower stars have been killed.
The number of sea -stars in 10 years has decreased significantly / photo – wikimedia.orgTen years after the start of the epidemic of marine stars, which is considered the largest ever registered in the wild, scientists have discovered the microorganism responsible for its occurrence. The Guardian writes about it.
It is noted that Vibrio pectenicida bacterium strain has led to an epidemic of sea stars disease. In her study, a team of scientists under the direction of Dr. Melanie Pntis and Dr. Alissi Gena of Hakai, in British Columbia (Canada), said that this microorganism had devastated the population of sunflower stars along the western coast of North America for 10 years.
According to scientists, since 2013, 5.8 billion individuals have been killed, which is approximately 90% of the total world population of sunflower marine stars. This species is listed in the Red List of the International Union of Security as a form that is endangered.
Researchers have found that pathogenic B pectenicida bacterium played a role in the emergence of an epidemic of sunflower stars. They shared that the infection with the strain V pectenicida FHCF-3 begins with external damage, which lead to loss of limbs and deformation, and ultimately kills the affected individuals. Without a known pathogen, it was impossible to identify the disease in the affected marine stars.
Dr. Melanie Pntis warned that the reduction of the number of sunflower marine stars can lead to the disappearance of forests of marine algae. This has broad consequences for all other marine species and people who depend on them.
Corals of the Great Barrier Reef continue to dieEarlier, scientists from Griffith universities and McCori have studied 20 sections of reefs in the north and southern ends of Lizard, which is part of a large barrier reef. There, after complete discoloration, corals were killed.
According to the researchers, the scale exceeded all historical records. They managed to establish that 96% of corals are discolored. In some sections of the reef, less than 1% of corals remain alive.
You may also be interested in news:
- “Judging Day Glacier” cracks: scientists beat
- In Germany, the remains of the sea monster aged 183 million years old were found
- Scientists have made a wonderful discovery about the first molecule in the universe