scholarly journals A highly prevalent and pervasive densovirus discovered among sea stars from the North American Atlantic Coast

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliot W. Jackson ◽  
Charles Pepe-Ranney ◽  
Mitchell R. Johnson ◽  
Daniel L. Distel ◽  
Ian Hewson
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
North American ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Northwest Pacific ◽  
Sea Star ◽  
Sea Stars ◽  
Pyloric Caeca ◽  
The North ◽  
Wasting Syndrome ◽  
Asterias Forbesi

AbstractViral metagenomes prepared from tissues from Forbes’ sea star (Asterias forbesi) led to the discovery of a complete genome of a novel sea star densovirus (AfaDV). The genome organization of AfaDV and phylogenetic analysis place this virus among the Ambidensovirus genus in the subfamily Densoviridae, family Parvoviridae. AfaDV shares 78% nucleotide pairwise identity to the sea star associated densovirus (SSaDV), previously described as the putative causative agent of Sea Star Wasting Syndrome among sea stars from the Northwest Pacific. SSaDV was not found in specimens collected in this study, and the discovery of AfaDV might explain previous reports of SSaDV among sea stars from the Atlantic Coast. A qPCR assay was designed to assess tissue tropism, host specificity, and prevalence of AfaDV among wild populations of sea stars at five locations on the North American Atlantic Coast. AfaDV was detected in all three common sea star species (Asterias forbesi, Asterias rubens, and Henricia sp.) found in the region and was highly prevalent (80-100% of individuals tested, n=134), among populations collected at disparate sites 7 years apart. AfaDV was detected in the body wall, gonads, and pyloric caeca (digestive gland) of specimens but was not detected in their coelomic fluid. A significant difference in viral load was found between tissue types with the pyloric caeca having the highest viral load suggesting it is the primary site of viral replication in the animal. Further investigation of Asterias forbesi gonad tissue found germline cells (oocytes) to be virus positive suggesting a potential route of vertical transmission. Taken together, these observations show that the presence AfaDV is not an indicator of Sea Star Wasting Syndrome because AfaDV is a common constituent of these animals’ microbiome, regardless of health. These results broaden the understanding of echinoderm densoviruses outside the context of disease that suggest these viruses might form commensal or mutualistic relationships with their hosts.

scholarly journals A Highly Prevalent and Pervasive Densovirus Discovered among Sea Stars from the North American Atlantic Coast

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliot W. Jackson ◽  
Charles Pepe-Ranney ◽  
Mitchell R. Johnson ◽  
Daniel L. Distel ◽  
Ian Hewson
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Sea Star ◽  
Sea Stars ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pyloric Caeca ◽  
The North ◽  
Wasting Syndrome ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Asterias Forbesi

ABSTRACT The etiology of sea star wasting syndrome is hypothesized to be caused by a densovirus, sea star-associated densovirus (SSaDV), that has previously been reported on the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts of the United States. In this study, we reevaluated the presence of SSaDV among sea stars from the North American Atlantic Coast and in doing so discovered a novel densovirus that we have named Asterias forbesi-associated densovirus (AfaDV), which shares 78% nucleotide pairwise identity with SSaDV. In contrast to previous studies, SSaDV was not detected in sea stars from the North American Atlantic Coast. Using a variety of PCR-based techniques, we investigated the tissue tropism, host specificity, and prevalence of AfaDV among populations of sea stars at five locations along the Atlantic Coast. AfaDV was detected in three sea star species (Asterias forbesi, Asterias rubens, and Henricia sp.) found in this region and was highly prevalent (>80% of individuals tested; n = 134), among sampled populations. AfaDV was detected in the body wall, gonads, and pyloric caeca (digestive gland) of specimens but was not detected in their coelomic fluid. A significant difference in viral load (copies mg−1) was found between tissue types, with the pyloric caeca having the highest viral loads. Further investigation of Asterias forbesi gonad tissue found germ line cells (oocytes) to be virus positive, suggesting a potential route of vertical transmission. Taken together, these observations show that the presence of AfaDV is not an indicator of sea star wasting syndrome because AfaDV is a common constituent of these animals’ microbiome, regardless of health. IMPORTANCE Sea star wasting syndrome is a disease primarily observed on the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts of North America that has significantly impacted sea star populations. The etiology of this disease is unknown, although it is hypothesized to be caused by a densovirus, SSaDV. However, previous studies have not found a correlation between SSaDV and sea star wasting syndrome on the North American Atlantic Coast. This study suggests that this observation may be explained by the presence of a genetically similar densovirus, AfaDV, that may have confounded previous studies. SSaDV was not present in sea stars screened in this study, and instead, AfaDV was commonly found in sea star populations across the New England region, with no apparent signs of disease. These results suggest that sea star densoviruses may be common constituents of the animals’ microbiome, and the diversity and extent of these viruses among wild populations may be greater than previously recognized.

The Archaeology of Human–Environmental Dynamics on the North American Atlantic Coast

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-456
Author(s):  
Danielle Buffa
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
The North

?Tethyaster albertensis, a Late Cretaceous (Turonian) sea star from the Cardium Formation, Alberta, Canada

1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 1045-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell L. Hall ◽  
Suzan Moore
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Sea Star ◽  
Sea Stars ◽  
Peace River ◽  
The North ◽  
The Family ◽  
Cardium Formation ◽  
Northern Alberta ◽  
Limited Change

Although many of the surviving lineages of sea stars appeared during an early Mesozoic radiation of the class and have undergone limited change since then, they have left a very poor fossil record, particularly in the Mesozoic of North America (Blake, 1981). This record from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta is made more significant by the fact that it is apparently only the second occurrence of a member of the family Astropectinidae in the Cretaceous of North America; Lophidiaster silentiensis was described by McLearn (1944) from the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Hasler Formation, from a now-submerged locality on the Peace River in northern Alberta. All previously recorded fossil sea stars from the North American Cretaceous are representatives of the family Goniasteridae.

scholarly journals Arrival of the Fukushima radioactivity plume in North American continental waters

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 1310-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
John N. Smith ◽  
Robin M. Brown ◽  
William J. Williams ◽  
Marie Robert ◽  
Richard Nelson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North American ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Ocean Current ◽  
Northwest Pacific ◽  
Reactor Accident ◽  
Northwest Pacific Ocean ◽  
The North

The large discharge of radioactivity into the northwest Pacific Ocean from the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor accident has generated considerable concern about the spread of this material across the ocean to North America. We report here the first systematic study to our knowledge of the transport of the Fukushima marine radioactivity signal to the eastern North Pacific. Time series measurements of 134Cs and 137Cs in seawater revealed the initial arrival of the Fukushima signal by ocean current transport at a location 1,500 km west of British Columbia, Canada, in June 2012, about 1.3 y after the accident. By June 2013, the Fukushima signal had spread onto the Canadian continental shelf, and by February 2014, it had increased to a value of 2 Bq/m3 throughout the upper 150 m of the water column, resulting in an overall doubling of the fallout background from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. Ocean circulation model estimates that are in reasonable agreement with our measured values indicate that future total levels of 137Cs (Fukushima-derived plus fallout 137Cs) off the North American coast will likely attain maximum values in the 3–5 Bq/m3 range by 2015–2016 before declining to levels closer to the fallout background of about 1 Bq/m3 by 2021. The increase in 137Cs levels in the eastern North Pacific from Fukushima inputs will probably return eastern North Pacific concentrations to the fallout levels that prevailed during the 1980s but does not represent a threat to human health or the environment.

scholarly journals Integrated Mercury Monitoring Program for Temperate Estuarine and Marine Ecosystems on the North American Atlantic Coast

EcoHealth ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 426-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Evers ◽  
Robert P. Mason ◽  
Neil C. Kamman ◽  
Celia Y. Chen ◽  
Andrea L. Bogomolni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
The North ◽  
Mercury Monitoring

scholarly journals Distribution of Recent benthic foraminifera off the North American Atlantic coast

1980 ◽  
pp. 1-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Culver ◽  
Martin A. Buzas
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Benthic Foraminifera ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
The North

scholarly journals Genetic variation associated with lower susceptibility to sea star wasting syndrome in the keystone species, Pisaster ochraceus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Burton ◽  
Sarah Gravem ◽  
Felipe Barreto
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Disease Status ◽  
Sea Star ◽  
Sea Stars ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Pisaster Ochraceus ◽  
Wasting Syndrome ◽  
Asymptomatic Individuals

The keystone species, Pisaster ochraceus, suffered mass mortalities along the northeast Pacific Ocean from Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS) outbreaks in 2013-2016. Causation of SSWS is still debated, leading to concerns as to whether outbreaks will continue to impact this species. Considering the apparent link between ocean temperature and SSWS, the future of this species and intertidal communities remains uncertain. We surveyed populations of sea stars along the Oregon coast in 2016, two years after the epidemic began. Cohabitation of asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals allowed us to ask whether lower susceptibility in asymptomatic individuals differed genetically. We performed restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (2bRAD-seq) to genotype thousands of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci. By comparing allele frequencies between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, we detected three loci that may be under selection. A multivariate analysis showed a clear separation between groups based on disease status in two of the three geographic regions, along with several regions across the genome having small statistical contributions to this separation. A draft annotation of protein-coding regions allowed us to identify 120 predicted genes that are linked to these markers and are putatively associated with lower susceptibility. Our results suggest that some variation in disease severity can be attributed to genetic variation. However, differences in phenotype have a highly polygenic nature with no single or few genomic regions having strong predictive effects. The genes associated with these regions may form the basis for functional studies aiming to understand disease progression in infected individuals.

scholarly journals The Impact of Large-Scale Orography on Northern Hemisphere Winter Synoptic Temperature Variability

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (18) ◽  
pp. 5799-5814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Lutsko ◽  
Jane Wilson Baldwin ◽  
Timothy W. Cronin
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
North American ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Temperature Variability ◽  
Temperature Gradients ◽  
Northwest Pacific ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The impact of large-scale orography on wintertime near-surface (850 hPa) temperature variability on daily and synoptic time scales (from days to weeks) in the Northern Hemisphere is investigated. Using a combination of theory, idealized modeling work, and simulations with a comprehensive climate model, it is shown that large-scale orography reduces upstream temperature gradients, in turn reducing upstream temperature variability, and enhances downstream temperature gradients, enhancing downstream temperature variability. Hence, the presence of the Rockies on the western edge of the North American continent increases temperature gradients over North America and, consequently, increases North American temperature variability. By contrast, the presence of the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas on the eastern edge of the Eurasian continent damps temperature variability over most of Eurasia. However, Tibet and the Himalayas also interfere with the downstream development of storms in the North Pacific storm track, and thus damp temperature variability over North America, by approximately as much as the Rockies enhance it. Large-scale orography is also shown to impact the skewness of downstream temperature distributions, as temperatures to the north of the enhanced temperature gradients are more positively skewed while temperatures to the south are more negatively skewed. This effect is most clearly seen in the northwest Pacific, off the east coast of Japan.

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