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Distribution Of Sea Star Wasting Disease Symptoms In Pisaster Ochraceus In The Rocky Intertidal Zone, Jana N. Litt
Distribution Of Sea Star Wasting Disease Symptoms In Pisaster Ochraceus In The Rocky Intertidal Zone, Jana N. Litt
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Beginning in 2013, many species of sea stars (phylum Echinodermata) along the Pacific coast experienced severe mortality due to sea star wasting disease (SSWD). The ochre sea star, Pisaster ochraceus, experienced one of the highest mortality rates during this outbreak. To test the hypothesis that the intertidal distribution of ochre sea stars influences the incidence and progression of SSWD symptoms, I documented the occurrence of symptoms and survivorship in adult and juvenile stars in the upper and lower portions of the mid-intertidal zone. I also chronicled the progression of SSWD symptoms among individually tagged adult stars to assess changes in …