Have you recently seen -or not seen- long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum on Caribbean reefs?

The early 80’s die-off of Diadema antillarum and the subsequent reef degradation is by now a well-discussed and studied topic throughout the Caribbean. D. antillarum was once known as the most abundant and therefore most important herbivore in the Caribbean. Its mass mortality has led to (macro) algae to take over many Caribbean reefs, being partially responsible for the reef degradation we are facing today. 

This news article was published in BioNews 26

BioNews is produced by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.