Data from: Star Power: Early life stages of an endangered sea star are robust to current and near-future warming

The sunflower star, Pycnopodia helianthoides, was a top benthic predator
throughout its former range from Alaska to northern Mexico, until its
populations were devastated starting in 2013 by a disease known as seastar
wasting. The subsequent absence of sunflower stars from northern
California waters was coincident with a dramatic ecological phase shift
from healthy bull kelp forests (Nereocystis luetkeana) to barrens formed
by purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus), a prey of sunflower
stars. Modeling suggests that restoration and resilience of kelp forests
can be enhanced by the return of sunflower stars. Towards this end, we run
a conservation breeding program for sunflower stars in the Salish Sea of
Washington, where sunflower stars have persisted in much reduced numbers.
We here report on a variety of investigations into the temperature
tolerance of sunflower stars, focusing on their poorly studied early life
stages from their planktonic embryos and larvae, through metamorphosis and
settlement as they transition to the benthos, and then for eight months of
juvenile growth. Our results indicate that the optimum temperature for
early life stage sunflower stars is more than 4°C higher than ambient
temperatures in the Salish Sea, and that the juveniles demonstrate
enhanced performance to a simulated marine heat wave. These results
suggest that Salish Sea-derived sunflower stars would be robust to current
and even near-future predicted temperatures in the south of their former
range.