Capturing Natural Recolonization Dynamics Following Disease-Associated Mass Mortality to Contextualize Conservation Next-Steps for the Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)

The proposed study will capture the dynamics of early recolonization using scouting surveys to target seven sites for intensive surveys (Fig 1 in Appendix). These recolonization dynamics will influence the evolutionary trajectory of Pycnopodia in California and provide insights for conservation actions through 3 main goals with objectives split across our expert team of scientists and practitioners with Sonoma State contributing to the goal of documenting the occurrence, density, and disease status.