![]() ![]() As bacteria consume the organic matter, they deplete the oxygen in the water - creating a low-oxygen micro-environment that surrounds starfish and leads to deflation, discoloration, puffiness and limb twisting. The research results, " Evidence That Microorganisms at the Animal-Water Interface Drive Sea Star Wasting Disease," were published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.Īccording to Hewson, ocean conditions led to the production of unusual amounts of organic material, which prompt bacteria to thrive. ![]() If there is not enough oxygen surrounding the papulae, the starfish can't breathe." "Sea stars diffuse oxygen over their outer surfaces through little structures called papulae, or skin gills. "As humans, we breathe, we ventilate, we bring air into our lungs and we exhale," said Ian Hewson, a microbiologist at Cornell. Increased microbial activity derived from nearby organic matter and warm ocean temperatures are robbing the animals of their ability to breathe. National Science Foundation suggests that starfish, victims of sea star wasting disease, may actually be in respiratory distress - literally "drowning" in their environment. New Cornell University-led research supported by the U.S. Many of these species are at the brink of extinction. For more than seven years, a mysterious wasting disease has nearly killed off sea star populations worldwide. ![]()
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