Predation rates by Pisaster ochraceus on Mytilus californianus along the Oregon and Northern California rocky intertidal coastline from 1999 to 2023

This dataset contains time-series measurements of mussel (Mytilus californianus) survival and experimental predation rates by the sea star Pisaster ochraceus from rocky intertidal sites along the North American west coast from 1999 to 2023.

Study/Experiment abstract:

Mass mortality from disease epidemics can challenge the resistance and resilience of populations and communities. Assessing the impacts of such events and their consequences is crucially dependent on long-term datasets. In 2013-16, sea star wasting disease (SSWD) caused population-wide crashes of the archetypal keystone species, the sea star Pisaster ochraceus, along the North American west coast. We used a long-term dataset to assess how predation rates by Pisaster on Mytilus californianus varied over a 16-year time series (2007-2023) of annual predation rate at 7 sites. As expected, SSWD drove predation rates to near-zero. This persisted for 3-8 years depending on site, and as of 2024, predation rates at two sites remained unrecovered.