Sea stars' immunity can protect an ecosystem!

Sea stars have been dying off from the wasting disease, which scientists have believed that a virus related to rabies causes this, has been the source of the largest die off ever recorded. When infected, the sea stars' arms twist, and they develop white lesions. They also begin to melt and become squishy in the final stages of the disease. This disease nearly affects 20 different species and it has cause almost 90% of devastation off the West Coast. According to a Ph.D. student for quantitative biology, Lauren Fuess, and her team,  "the sea stars protect the rocky shores, keeping them from becoming dominated by mussels. When you remove the sea stars, you see dramatic declines of other species, so basically you go from a diverse ecosystem to a mussel-coated beach." Lauren Fuess works with Laura Mydlarz, who stated that, "we're looking at an increasing rate of diseases that may be linked to climate change as well as pollution in the ocean. While studying these fascinating creatures, the team found some very interesting genes that can fend off pathogens, such as the first melanin gene found in sea stars. I found this article very interesting because it shows what climate change and pollution can do to creatures everywhere. Many diseases are being discovered and we have no way to try and stop them. The ocean is very important to us and we need to protect no matter what.

 

Coral Reef Bleaching

Coral bleaching has become an evident and problematic phenomenon among various species of coral in our oceans. The relationship between coral and bacteria can be compared to that of a married couple. They thrive off of each other, creating a life-long lasting relationship. When the coral is subjected to climate change and human pollution, the bacteria growing in the tissues of the coral begins to withdraw, taking the bright colors and vital nutrients along with it. The coral becomes a bleached white color and is susceptible to deadly diseases. Certainly, a coral can survive a bleaching, but its life expectancy drops substantially. Efforts have been conducted to figure out how to reverse the effects of a bleached coral and ultimately bringing them back from certain death, however, research has been inconclusive at this time due to the increasing effects of pollution. This comes at a important time with human pollution and global warming in the spot light. Many scientists believe that if pollutants are decreased, corals around the world can be saved. I agree that if pollutants are somehow decreased, the global ecosystem will improve.

Coral bleaching over a span of 20 years.

Sea Level To Go Up

Researchers of the Neils Bohr Institute have been calculating the long-term outlook of the sea levels rising. They discovered changes in sea level 500 years from now. Aslak Grinstead, a researcher at the Center for Ice and Climate at the Neils Bohr Institute, has been teaming up with reasearchers from England and China. They are focusing on the emission of gases and aerosols of greenhouses and the pollution in the atmosphere. The research group says that as the emissions increase, so will the sea level. One researcher says that sea levels will go up to 1.1 meters by the year 2100 and 5.5 meters by 2500. Another says that by 2100, the sea levels will rise by 60 cm, and by 2500 they will rise by 1.8 meters. A more realistic researcher says that they will rise about 75 cm and get up to 2 meters in the year 2500. On average, sea level rises 2mm per year but gets faster with each year.
http://www.macroevolution.net/biology-current-events.html

Gulf Oil Effect Bird Eggs

In Daily Science, it described Texas Tech University's experiment and research taken place regarding the effect that the weathered oil would have on unhatched eggs.

In their experiment, only 39 percent of the eggs hatched while the other 61 percent died. The weathered oil had a better outcome than the non-weathered oil. The birds whose mating seasons were interrupted due to the Gulf Spill were definitely negatively affected, but there's a chance some eggs, hopefully at least 39 percent will hatch in the wild.

There is still a chance that the covered eggs that survive may obtain developmental problems. Hopefully, the bird population will survive throughout the years.

Sea Nettles in the Barnegat Bay

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http://mrwriteon.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/sea-nettle.jpg ( Photo Link)

Sea nettles have always been a part of the Barnegat Bay’s ecosystem; their apparent increase in abundance is a relatively recent phenomenon. A number of potential causes for this increase have been suggested by scientists. Increased development around the bay, including bulkheads, pilings, and floating docks, may be providing more places for the scyphistoma to attach. Changes in the bay’s salinity may also have an effect. Sea nettles prefer a lower salinity zone, so large-scale natural changes in salinity, such as dry years, may affect their abundance and distribution in the bay.

Scientific evidence is beginning to link increasing sea nettle populations with eutrophication. Eutrophication decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen in the system. When oxygen levels are low, predator fish that would normally prey on Jellyfish swim to waters with more oxygen. Also, the fish would under normal circumstances compete for food with the sea nettles. Since there is less competition for food the sea nettles eat more and the population increases. Sea nettles are a very tolerant species, meaning that they can survive despite some changes to their environment. As long as the water remains warm enough, these jellies can “out compete” many species if dissolved oxygen in the water becomes too low. As their populations grow the ecosystems can be severely damaged.

If this continues on the bay may become so filled with these sea nettles that it may be too dangerous to swim in. There is a way to raise awareness of the dangers of dumping toxins in to the bay and hopefully prevent further growth of Sea Nettles. “The Barnegat Bay Partnership is one of 28 congressionally designated National Estuary Programs throughout the United States working to improve the health of nationally significant estuaries. The program is sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and Ocean County College.”