Daniel Okamoto and his team have received a $1.1 million grant from the NSF to research how warming events impact the reproduction of sea urchins. The project will take advantage of data collected from the California coast by numerous researchers since the 1990s.

“Climate change and extreme heat waves strongly affect sea urchin populations. When their numbers explode, sea urchins can devastate ecosystems by eating everything in their path,” Okamoto said. The NSF grant will help Okamoto and his team understand how warming events can lead to harsh outcomes for some populations.