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A marine pandemic is bringing some species of sea urchin to the brink of extinction, and some populations have disappeared altogether, a study has found<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since 2021, Diadema africanum<\/em> urchins in the Canary Island archipelago have almost entirely been killed by an unknown disease. There has been a 99.7% population decrease in Tenerife, and a 90% decrease off the islands of the Madeira archipelago.<\/p>\n In the same period, mass deaths have been detected in species from the Red Sea, Mediterranean, Caribbean and western Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n Iv\u00e1n Cano, a researcher at the University of La Laguna and author of the study, said: \u201cWhat we have seen since 2021 is really, really concerning. We are talking about the disappearance of several species in a really short time.\u201d<\/p>\n Sea urchins are remarkable creatures. A relative of the starfish, they breathe through their feet, and while their spikes are a formidable defence against predators, they also provide refuge for smaller marine creatures.<\/p>\n They are known as \u201cecosystem engineers\u201d, and affect their surroundings by grazing on algae, breaking down food for other animals, and acting as food for predators.<\/p>\n By controlling algal growth they promote the survival of hard coral<\/a>, itself the habitat <\/strong>for thousands of marine species. Their loss has been felt in Caribbean reefs, where coral cover has halved and algal cover increased by 85%.<\/p>\n