All articles tagged with #sea urchin
A stunning microscopic video of a baby sea urchin crawling on red algae, captured by zoologist Alvaro Migotto, won fifth place in the Nikon Small World in Motion competition, showcasing the intricate movement of juvenile Arbacia lixula in its natural habitat.
A scuticociliate, a single-celled organism, has been identified as the cause of the 2022 mass die-off of long-spined sea urchins in the Caribbean and Florida’s east coast. These urchins are crucial for coral reef health, and the discovery raises questions about the ciliate’s presence, growth conditions, and potential impact on other species. The research team used genomic techniques to identify the ciliate in every affected urchin specimen and confirmed it as the disease source by performing infection experiments at the USF College of Marine Science.
A mass mortality event that affected sea urchins in the Caribbean and Florida in 2022 has been solved by a team of experts who identified a microorganism called a scuticociliate as the culprit. The ciliate was found in every affected sample of sea urchins and was able to replicate the symptoms in healthy sea urchins under lab conditions. The team hopes that sharing this knowledge will help prevent further spread of the disease.