Biomass and density of Pycnopodia helianthoides from the central coast of BC

10.21966/xy6n-qz76

Disease outbreaks as a driver of wildlife mass mortality events have increased in magnitude and frequency since the 1940s. Remnant populations, composed of individuals that survived mass mortality events, could provide insight into disease dynamics and species recovery. The sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epidemic led to the rapid >90% decline of the sunflower star Pycnopodia helianthoides. We surveyed the biomass density of P. helianthoides on the central British Columbia coast before, during and after the arrival of SSWD by conducting expert diver surveys in shallow subtidal habitats from 2013 to 2023. We found a rapid decline in biomass density following the onset of SSWD in 2015. Despite consistent recruitment post-outbreak to sites associated with outer islands, we found repeated loss of large adult individuals over multiple years. Within nearby fjord habitats, we found remnant populations composed of large adult P. helianthoides. The interaction of temperature and salinity with the biomass density of P. helianthoides varied by location, with high biomass density associated with higher temperatures in the outer islands and with lower temperatures and higher salinity in the fjords. These patterns suggest that fjords provide refuge from consequences of SSWD and protecting these populations could be imperative for the species.

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Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

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Github Repositoryapplication/x-troff-man

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Fjord oceanographic dynamics provide refuge for critically endangered Pycnopodia helianthoides Open Access
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Metadata Reference Date(s) September 01, 2026 (Publication)
September 01, 2026 (Revision)
Data Reference Date(s) July 04, 2019 (Creation)
March 07, 2025 (Publication)
Frequency of Update As Needed

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Source last modified September 01, 2026 at 17:01

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Responsible Party 1
Name
Gehman, Alyssa-Lois ORCID logo
Affiliation
Hakai Institute ROR logo
Email
alyssa.gehman@hakai.org
Role
  • Author
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  • Principal Investigator
Responsible Party 2
Name
Pontier, Ondine ORCID logo
Affiliation
Hakai Institute ROR logo
Email
ondine.pontier@hakai.org
Role
  • Co Author
  • Contributor
Responsible Party 3
Name
Froese, Tyrel ORCID logo
Affiliation
Hakai Institute ROR logo
Email
tyrel.froese@hakai.org
Role
  • Custodian
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  • Co Author
Responsible Party 4
Name
VanMaanen, Derek
Email
derek.vanmaanen@hakai.org
Role
  • Co Author
  • Contributor
Responsible Party 5
Name
Blaine, Tristan
Role
  • Co Author
  • Contributor
Responsible Party 6
Name
Sadlier-Brown, Gillian
Affiliation
Hakai Institute ROR logo
Email
gillian.sadlierbrown@hakai.org
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  • Co Author
  • Contributor
Responsible Party 7
Name
Olson, Angeleen ORCID logo
Affiliation
Hakai Institute ROR logo
Email
angeleen.olson@hakai.org
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  • Contributor
Responsible Party 8
Name
Monteith, Zachary ORCID logo
Affiliation
Hakai Institute ROR logo
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zach.monteith@hakai.org
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  • Co Author
  • Contributor
Responsible Party 9
Name
Bachen, Krystal ORCID logo
Affiliation
Hakai Institute ROR logo
Email
krystal.bachen@hakai.org
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  • Co Author
  • Contributor
Responsible Party 10
Name
Prentice, Carolyn ORCID logo
Affiliation
Hakai Institute ROR logo
Email
carolyn.prentice@hakai.org
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  • Co Author
  • Contributor
Responsible Party 11
Name
Hessing-Lewis, Margot ORCID logo
Affiliation
Hakai Institute ROR logo
Email
margot@hakai.org
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Co Author
Responsible Party 12
Name
Jackson, Jennifer ORCID logo
Email
jennifer.jackson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
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  • Co Author
  • Contributor
Responsible Party 13
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Hakai Institute ROR logo
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data@hakai.org
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Responsible Party 14
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Tula Foundation ROR logo
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Funder

Field Value
Ocean Variables
  • Sea Surface Salinity
  • Sea Surface Temperature
  • Subsurface Salinity
  • Subsurface Temperature
  • Invertebrate abundance and distribution
Scope Dataset
Status Completed
Topic Category oceans
Maintenance Note Generated from https://hakaiinstitute.github.io/hakai-metadata-entry-form#/en/hakai/Q7WjoEJM1Sc9HrFLJCRgKAtMzTH2/-OteEfuBSvhg-2RySC4a
Spatial Extent { "coordinates": [ [ [ -128.617, 51.3321 ], [ -127.3509, 51.3321 ], [ -127.3509, 52.3317 ], [ -128.617, 52.3317 ], [ -128.617, 51.3321 ] ] ], "type": "Polygon" }
North Bounding Latitude 52.3317
South Bounding Latitude 51.3321
East Bounding Longitude -127.3509
West Bounding Longitude -128.617
Temporal Extent
Begin
2019-07-04
End
2023-10-11
Vertical Extent
Min
0.0
Max
10.0
Default Locale English
Citation identifier
Code
https://doi.org/10.21966/xy6n-qz76
Projects
  1. Oceanography
  2. Nearshore
Included in Data Catalogue
Included in Data Catalogue 1
Name
Hakai Data Catalogue
Description
Science on the Coastal Margin
URL
https://catalogue.hakai.org