Mass mortality of Diadema savignyi in Mo’orea in 2013
Abstract
Echinoids contribute to herbivory on coral reefs. The loss of Diadema antillarum from 1983-1984 contributed to a persistent phase shift from coral- to algal-dominated benthos in the Caribbean. A recent mass mortality affected this species again in 2022 and has since been reported in the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, and Réunion. In 2013, dense (12 ind. m -2 ) populations of the sea urchin D. savignyi in the lagoons of Mo’orea, French Polynesia, experienced mass mortality, resulting in a ~97% population decline (to
Fields of Study & Subjects
Echinoderm biology and ecology
Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
Marine Biology and Ecology Research
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Marine Ecology Progress Series
- Volume
- 782
- Pages
- 1–6
- Publication date
- 19 January 2026
- Language
- EN