Coral-reef ecology: Expanding urchin disease threatens ecosystem balance

Mya Breitbart; Ian Hewson

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.004

Coral-reef ecology: Expanding urchin disease threatens ecosystem balance

Curr Biol. 2024 Jun 17;34(12):R578-R580. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.004.

Authors

Mya Breitbart¹, Ian Hewson²

Affiliations

¹ College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 38889681
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.004

Abstract

Sea urchins are critically important herbivores on coral reefs. A new study shows that a disease that decimated sea urchins in the Caribbean in 2022 has spread to the Red Sea, further threatening coral ecosystems.

MeSH terms

Animals
Anthozoa / physiology
Caribbean Region
Coral Reefs*
Ecosystem
Sea Urchins* / physiology