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Protracted recovery of long-spined urchin (Diadema antillarum) in the Bahamas

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Abstract

In 1983–1984, an unknown waterborne pathogen caused the mass mortality of long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) across the Caribbean and western tropical Atlantic. After approximately 15 years, urchin populations began to recover at some locations, yet few have reached pre-mortality densities. To date, no study has documented a recovery in the western tropical Atlantic outside of the Caribbean. Over a 25-year period (1991–2015), we documented an 8–17% population growth rate of D. antillarum in the central Bahamas. However, our mean observed densities, 0.06–0.38 urchins m−2, remained below pre-pandemic levels. Combined with observations from other locations in the Caribbean, it appears that D. antillarum populations are increasing, yet have not fully recovered from their 1980s mass mortality throughout much of their geographic range.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the many staff members from the Caribbean Marine Research Center and all of the volunteer divers that helped over the 25-year period of this study. In addition, we thank Owen Stokes-Cawley who helped with data management and literature searching. This study was funded by numerous grants from NOAA’s National Undersea Research Program, as well as U.S. National Science Foundation Grants OCE-96-17483, OCE-00-93976, OCE-05-50709, OCE-08-51162, OCE-12-33027 (M.A. Hixon, P.I.).

Funding

National Science Foundation, OCE-96–17483, Mark A Hixon, OCE-00–93976, Mark A Hixon, OCE-05–50709, Mark A Hixon, OCE-08–51162, Mark A Hixon, OCE-12–33027, Mark A Hixon.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Timothy J. Pusack, Christopher D. Stallings, Mark A. Albins, Cassandra E. Benkwitt, Kurt E. Ingeman, Tye L. Kindinger & Mark A. Hixon

  2. Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program, Williams College, 75 Greenmanville Ave, Mystic, CT, 06355, USA

    Timothy J. Pusack

  3. College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    Christopher D. Stallings

  4. Department of Marine Sciences, University of South and Alabama and Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, AL, 36528, USA

    Mark A. Albins

  5. Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK

    Cassandra E. Benkwitt

  6. Environmental Studies, Linfield University, McMinnville, OR, 97128, USA

    Kurt E. Ingeman

  7. Ecosystem Sciences Division, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI, 96818, USA

    Tye L. Kindinger

  8. School of Life Sciences, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Mark A. Hixon

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  1. Timothy J. Pusack
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  7. Mark A. Hixon
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Correspondence to Timothy J. Pusack.

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338_2022_2321_MOESM2_ESM.pdf

Supplemental Figure 1. Balistes vetula per reef on the translocated reefs from 1991 to 2011.Surveys were not conducted in years without data points. (PDF 2 kb)

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Pusack, T.J., Stallings, C.D., Albins, M.A. et al. Protracted recovery of long-spined urchin (Diadema antillarum) in the Bahamas. Coral Reefs 42, 93–98 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-022-02321-z

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