The starfish are dying
On the west coast, scientists are noticing that the population
of starfish is dying. The scientists that are studying this die-off say it is
from the wasting disease. This disease is not a friendly one because it causes
lesions and then soon after, body fragmentation and death.
Some scientists say that it is because of the raised water temperatures and
others say it is from human pollution. There are some solutions to this problem
that are simpler than others but that planet will only get warmer. One possible
solution is to stop polluting the environment and take it more seriously. I
personally do not think there is short term solutions to the climate change
because the population is only getting bigger. Because of that the demand for
more accommodations for a single person is ridiculously too much. A problem
that may come across while trying to fix the dying starfish problem is the fact
that not everyone cares about the environment as much as they claim. I think
that if a species that helps our environment should be severely protected.
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ReplyDeleteCause of the Disease
ReplyDeleteWhat type of disease is this? If it is linked to pollution, could it possibly affect other organisms dwelling on the west coast?
I think that this disease is a virus, because it is also known by its other name "sea star-associated densovirus , or SSaDV." This means there is not a known direct cure for the affliction, and the only method of treatment is prevention. It appears that reducing pollution and our greenhouse gas emissions are the only ways to do this so far. Also, I think that if the disease itself does not directly harm other organisms, the lower starfish populations will be a detriment to the underwater ecosystems. Starfish eat small organisms such as clams, and when the food chain is disrupted disastrous repercussions can occur.
Deletehttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/03/starfish-sea-star-deaths-west-coast
Along with starfish, I saw that many coral are suffering from diseases from pollution. As dive boats drive around on the surface they release gases that become toxic to the fish. It seems that many of these marine life may suffer from diseases more than we know.
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