A team of researchers in San Diego have successfully spawned and cross-fertilized gametes from the critically endangered sunflower sea star, resulting in fertile eggs. This breakthrough is part of an ongoing collaborative effort to keep the species from going extinct after a mass die-off killed an estimated 90% of the population in the past decade.
Sunflower sea stars, among the largest in the world, have been hit hard by sea star wasting syndrome in recent years. That disease, which is thought to have been exacerbated by unusually warm ocean waters, has killed at least five billion sea stars and reduced species and genetic diversity.
Sunflower stars occur from Baja California all the way to Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, and are natural predators of sea urchins, which in turn helps preserve kelp forests and keep delicate ocean ecosystems in balance.
The successful fertilization took place at Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and it included researchers from the Aquarium of the Pacific, California Academy of Sciences, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and the Sunflower Star Laboratory.
Some fertilized eggs remained at Birch Aquarium, while the rest were transported to the Aquarium of the Pacific, California Academy of Sciences and additional partners throughout California.
This collaboration is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ SAFE Sunflower Sea Star Program, co-led by the Aquarium of the Pacific and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. It also contributes to a comprehensive “Roadmap to Recovery” to help accelerate the recovery of the species.
