Ecology Report: The Impact of Rising Sea Temps on Starfish Populations

This report examines the ecological issue of starfish deaths along the Pacific Coast, as reported in a New York Times article and supported by a scientific study. The report analyzes the accuracy of the news article in relation to the scientific findings, focusing on the correlation between rising sea temperatures, potentially caused by global warming, and the decline in starfish populations, including the sunflower star. It identifies relevant ecological principles, such as interconnectedness and the impact of climate disturbances. The report discusses the scientific article by Harvell et al. (2019), which links the deaths to a sea-star wasting disease exacerbated by warming oceans. It highlights minor inaccuracies in the news reporting and concludes with stimulating questions and ecologically-oriented remediation strategies, such as replanting mangroves and reducing carbon emissions through renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. The report emphasizes the interconnectedness of species and the need for comprehensive strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems.

Running head: ECOLOGY
ECOLOGY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
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Executive Summary
The following report aims to assess an ecological issue covered by a news article followed by as
assessment of the accuracy in its reporting in comparison to a scientific article underlying its
publishing. This report focuses on the news article published by The New York times on the
association between rising sea temperatures and the recent deaths of starfish populations across
the Pacific Coast. While considerable in reporting could be observed, minute shortcomings were
outlined briefly in comparison to the underlying scientific article. The report concludes with
possible remediation strategies and questions which can pave the way for further discussions.

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Table of Contents
Article Summary..................................................................................................................3
Identification of Ecological Principles............................................................................4
Scientific Article..................................................................................................................5
Quality of Reporting............................................................................................................5
Stimulating Questions..........................................................................................................6
Ecologically-Oriented Remediation Strategies....................................................................7
References............................................................................................................................8

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Article Summary
The mass media article, written by Pierre-Louis (2019), reports on the recent deaths of
starfish witnessed across the Pacific Coast. A large number of starfishes, were found to be dead
across the vast coastline along with Pacific Ocean, stretching from countries of Mexico to
Alaska. The deaths included starfishes the sunflower star, ochre star and the morning sun
starfishes. Further, as discussed by Pierre-Louis (2019), the underlying causative factor behind
the deaths of such starfishes has been detected as a wasting disease – which seemed to
characterized by the development of a white lesion on their limbs followed by a disintegration of
the skin associated with the affected area, further aggravation associated with a complete
dismantling of the limbs, ultimately leading to death. The aforementioned news article proceeded
to discuss extensively on the associated scientific article which form the crux of the former.
Upon being funded by a group of children concerned with the emerging death and disappearance
of starfishes inhabiting the Pacific coastline, further surveys were undertaken by the professor of
evolutionary biology and ecology Cornell University, Dr. Drew Harvell, which further paved the
way for a research published in the journal ‘Science Advances’ (Harvell et al. 2019). This
research, which formulates the scientific basis of the chosen mass media article, examined global
warming due to human activities, as a major causative factor behind starfish deaths. The study
uncovered the presence of a direct association between the death of the sunflower starfish, and
the uneven diffusion of an oceanic heat wave across the Pacific Ocean in the year 2013. While
there seemed to be no data obtained on the previously discussed pathology of the fatal disease
affecting these starfishes, the research however, postulated the direct association between this
reported global warming-oriented heat wave and the transmission of a recent fungal disease
afflicting coral, frog and toad populations across the globe. The news article by Pierre-Louis
(2019) also examined the need for mitigation of climate-change associated global warming and
plantation of mangroves or sea grass beds as a key steps which can be performed to combat the
emerging mortality associated with starfishes.
Identification of Ecological Principles
Principle 4: This ecological principle emphasizes that every species of every organism
are interconnected and interrelated to each other, irrespective of the varying nature and strengths

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associated between such ecological interactions. While the prevalence of harm or disappearance
of species at the keystone level can implicate significant effects on ecologies and habitats,
additional species who share relationships of the predator-prey, mutualist-synergistic type may
also implicate alarming impacts at levels larger than those associated with independent specie
activity, if harmed or endangered. It is worthwhile to note, that starfishes are keystone species
who are responsible for the consumption of mussels and shellfish. Hence, if the existing problem
of starfish deaths, which are keystone species, are not mitigated, the biodiversity of the marine
ecology habituating the Pacific Coast may be tremendously affected, as per the fourth ecological
principle (Biodiversity BC 2019).
Principle 6: This outlines that disturbance or hindrance to climate, shape and impact the
features of ecosystems at the freshwater, terrestrial and marine levels. As rightly observed in the
selected mass media article, the sixth principle here can be significantly identified in the form of
rising temperatures due to human-associated global warming being the causative factor behind
the large scale deaths of starfishes in the Pacific Coast (Biodiversity BC 2019).
Scientific Article
The scientific article referred to and extensively inspiring the major content of
information present in the news article written by Pierre-Louis (2019), was a research conducted
by Harvell et al. (2019), published in the journal, ‘Science Advances’. The study, through the
conductance of diver surveys observed 80 to 100% reductions in the population of starfishes,
across the across shallow as well as deep water, stretching over a range of 3000 km, from
California to Alaska and Washington. While the research observed the presence of a sea-star
wasting disease (SSWD) as a causative factors, the authors also reported the simultaneous
presence of a rise in sea surface temperatures, as a coinciding event with these deaths.
Quality of Reporting
Upon conducting a comparative analysis between the results reported by the scientific
article written by Harvell et al. (2019) and the information published in the news article by
Pierre-Louis (2019), we can observe significant accuracy in the latter. The research conducted by
Harvell et al. (2019), not only postulated a positive a hypothesis between the rise in global

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warming induced sea surface temperatures and the declining rates of star fish abundance, but
also reported the possibility of exacerbations in sea star wasting disease, with fungal infection
origins, due to the rise in sea surface temperatures. The news article by Pierre-Louis (2019) was
observed to highlight these two primary research results. The news article also highlighted how
the research focused only on the sunflower star. However, a slight inaccuracy in reporting could
be detected here, where the news article mentioned that the sunflower star was emphasized for
being the species hit hardest by the SSWD, without highlighting its essentiality as a keystone
specie, reported saliently in the scientific article by Harvell et al. (2019). Further a slight
inaccuracy was also observed in the news article’s reporting of sea surface temperature rises
associated with human induced global warming, which was not mentioned in the scientific
article. However, it is to be noted that the news article reported this information global warming
associated marine temperature rise, in the form of direct statements by Dr. Harvell, the main
researcher of the scientific article, and hence, the inaccuracy can be noted as corrected. Also, the
news article by Pierre-Louis (2019) did not discuss in detail the underlying mechanisms between
SSWD exacerbations and sea temperature – which the scientific article expanded by highlighting
the resultant increased demands in metabolism and coelomic fluid reductions as a resultant of sea
surface warming and increased disease morbidity.
Stimulating Questions
1. What can be the possible consequences as a result of endangerment or extinction of
starfishes?
2. What strategies would you suggest for the protecting the survival of starfishes?
3. Do you think that the above strategies are financially and ecologically feasible?
4. In addition to carbon emissions, what else do you think can lead to a rise in sea surface
temperatures?
5. In addition to the ecological principles mentioned in this report, what other ecological
principles do you feel can be associated with the ecological issue discussed by the chosen
mass media article?

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Ecologically-Oriented Remediation Strategies
Considering the fourth principles of interconnectedness between species, a key ecological
remediation strategy can include the re-plantation of mangroves and seabed. This is due to the
fact that these aquatic plantations have been known to provide shelter and nutrients for
shellfishes and starfishes, which can further help to combat the high metabolic demands
associated with rising sea surface temperatures (Kenchington 2016).
Considering the fifth ecological principle of ecological consequences associated with
climatic disturbances, an additional remediation strategy may include strategies to reduce global
warming. To prevent the global warming contributory factors of carbon emissions, we must aim
to switch to renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind energies instead of fossil fuels.
Further, usage of energy efficient appliances, reduced private automobile utilization and
avoidance of products containing chloro-fluoro-carbons (CFCs) can be considered as additional
remediation strategies for reducing global warming (Roxy et al. 2016).

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References
Biodiversity BC. 2019. Ecological Concepts, Principles and Applications to Conservation
[online] Available from:
http://www.biodiversitybc.org/assets/pressReleases/BBCPrinciplesWEB.pdf [accessed 8
February 2019].
Harvell, C.D., Montecino-Latorre, D., Caldwell, J.M., Burt, J.M., Bosley, K., Keller, A., Heron,
S.F., Salomon, A.K., Lee, L., Pontier, O. and Pattengill-Semmens, C. 2019. Disease epidemic
and a marine heat wave are associated with the continental-scale collapse of a pivotal predator
(Pycnopodia helianthoides). Science Advances, 5(1): 7042. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau7042.
Patrizzi, N.S. and Dobrovolski, R. 2018. Integrating climate change and human impacts into
marine spatial planning: A case study of threatened starfish species in Brazil. Ocean & Coastal
Management, 161: 177-188. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2018.05.003.
Pierre-Louis, K. 2019. Scientists Single Out a Suspect in Starfish Carnage: Warming Oceans.
[online] Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/30/climate/starfish-global-
warming.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FEnvironment [accessed 8 February 2019].
Roxy, M.K., Modi, A., Murtugudde, R., Valsala, V., Panickal, S., Kumar, S.P., Ravichandran,
M., Vichi, M. and Lévy, M. 2016. A reduction in marine primary productivity driven by rapid
warming over the tropical Indian Ocean. Geophysical Research Letters, 43(2): 826-833. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL066979.