Project: Selection and genetic succession in the intertidal: population genomics of Pisaster ochraceus during a wasting disease outbreak and its aftermath
Taxon: Pisaster ochraceus, Pycnopodia helianthoides
People: Dawson lab, University of California, Merced; Lauren Schiebelhut, Clovis Community College; Wares lab, University of Georgia, Athens; Hewson lab, Cornell; Raimondi Lab, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Place: Northeastern Pacific
Funding: National Science Foundation OCE 1737381
By generating a chromosome-scale reference genome for P. ochraceus and contrasting genetic diversity before vs. after the outbreak and of wasting vs. non-wasting stars, we found that allele frequencies changed due to the outbreak, gene expression is altered by wasting, loci affected are related to cellular ‘suicide’ and tissue degradation, and rapid recovery avoided a genetic bottleneck.
… Work In Progress …
References
Dawson, M.N, P. Duffin, M. Giakoumis, L.M. Schiebelhut, R. Beas-Luna, K.L. Bosley, R. Castilho, C. Ewers-Saucedo, K.A. Gavenus, A. Keller, B. Konar, J.L. Largier, J. Lorda, C.M. Miner, M.M. Moritsch, S.A. Navarrete, S.B. Traiger, M. Turner, & J.P. Wares. 2023. A decade of death and other dynamics: deepening perspectives on the diversity and distribution of sea stars and wasting. Biological Bulletin. 244:143–163. https://doi.org/10.1086/727969
DeBiasse, M.B., L.M. Schiebelhut, M. Escalona, E. Beraut, C. Fairbairn, M.P.A. Marimuthu,O. Nguyen, R. Sahasrabudhe, M.N Dawson. 2022. A chromosome-level reference genome for the giant pink sea star, Pisaster brevispinus, a species severely impacted by wasting. Journal of Heredity 113:689–698. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esac044
Ruiz-Ramos, D.V., L.M. Schiebelhut, K.J. Hoff, J.P. Wares, & M.N Dawson. 2020. Initial comparative genomic autopsy of wasting disease in sea stars. Molecular Ecology 29:1087–1102. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15386
Schiebelhut, L.M.*, M. Giakoumis*, R. Castilho, P.J. Duffin, J.B. Puritz, J.P. Wares, G.M. Wessel, & M.N Dawson. 2023. Minor genetic consequences of a major mass mortality: short-term effects in Pisaster ochraceus. Biological Bulletin 243:328–338. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/722284
Schiebelhut, L.M., M. Giakoumis, R. Castilho, V.E. Garcia, J.P. Wares, G.M. Wessel, & M.N Dawson. Is it in the stars? 2023. Exploring the relationships between species’ traits and sea star wasting disease. Biological Bulletin 243:315–327. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/722800
Schiebelhut, L.M., J.B. Puritz, & M.N Dawson. 2018. Decimation by sea star wasting disease and rapid genetic change in a keystone species, Pisaster ochraceus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 115:7069–7074. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1800285115