Formation and Breakdown of Aggregations of the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish, Acanthaster planci (L.)

Ormond, Rupert; Campbell, Andrew C.; Head, S. H.; Moore, Richard; Rainbow, P. R.; Saunders, Aleksei

doi:10.1038/246167a0

Cited by 83 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Reports from the Red Sea (Ormond et al 1973;Ormond and Campbell 1974) ), especially when compounded by poor data on contemporary A. planci activity. We therefore extensively sampled the surface sediment of each reef.…”

Section: Surface Sedimentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef: a geological perspective based upon the sediment record

et al. 1989

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Section: Surface Sedimentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef: a geological perspective based upon the sediment record

et al. 1989

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“…Acanthaster planci locates prey by means of chemosensory attraction (Ormond et al 1973). Therefore chemical stimulants play a very important role in the predator-prey relationship of A. planci and stony corals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The dietary preference of A. planci for certain species of corals may be influenced by defensive structures such as nematocysts (Barnes et al 1970, Goreau et al 1972) and colony morphology (Chesher 1969b, Ormond & Campbell 1974, Menge 1982. A. planci feeding behavior in vivo is further influenced by environmental conditions (Birkeland & Lucas 1990) such as wave action (Endean 1933. Ormond et al 1973, Birkeland & Randall 1979, the accessibility of corals (Barnes et al 1970, Glynn 1976, 1985a, and the relative abundance and distribution of corals (Ormond et al 1973, Glynn 1985a.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A. planci feeding behavior in vivo is further influenced by environmental conditions (Birkeland & Lucas 1990) such as wave action (Endean 1933. Ormond et al 1973, Birkeland & Randall 1979, the accessibility of corals (Barnes et al 1970, Glynn 1976, 1985a, and the relative abundance and distribution of corals (Ormond et al 1973, Glynn 1985a. Large colonies of pocilloponds protected by crustacean symbionts are also not preyed upon (Goreau et al 1972, Glynn 1982a, b, 1983, 1987.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of stony corals extracts on feeding by Acanthaster planci

Sonoda¹,

Paul²

1993

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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ABSTRACT. The preference of the starfish Acanthasterplanci (Linnaeus, 1758) for 3 species of corals which survive A. planci outbreaks (Diploastrea heliopora, Porites rus, and Coscinaraea colurnna), and the effects of organic and aqueous extracts of these corals on A. planci feeding, were investigated experimentally in the laboratory. We hypothesized that extracts of these corals deter feeding by A. planci, but instead we found no evidence that chemical defenses were produced by these stony corals against A. planci. In whole-coral experiments, D. heliopora and P. rus were consumed significantly less than Acropora aspera, a preferred coral species. Organic extracts from D. heliopora stimulated feeding at low concentrations, but not at higher natural concentrations compared with solvent controls. Organic extracts of P. rus and C. colurnna did not deter or stimulate A. planci feeding at low and high natural concentrations compared with controls. Aqueous extracts from all 3 nonpreferred corals tended to stimulate feeding at high concentrations relative to controls, but only aqueous extracts of P. rus at high concentrations significantly enhanced A. planci feeding. When aqueous extracts of A. aspera were compared with the aqueous extracts of the 3 non-preferred corals, A. aspera extracts were significantly preferred over D. heliopora and C. colurnna, but not over P. rus. Overall, aqueous extracts of all coral species tended to stimulate feeding by A. planci and most organic extracts had no effect on feeding. None of the extracts deterred A. plancifeeding relative to controls as would be expected for extracts of chemically defended species. Some other defense appears to keep non-preferred corals from being consumed by A. planci, and we discuss the possibility that chemical crypsis may be one mechanism.

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“…10 of 50 adult conspecifics may seem maladaptive due to ultimate competition for coral prey, this strategy may limit predation by sessile invertebrates (Ormond et al 1973;Yamaguchi 1973) leading to overall increases in larval survivorship. However, the spread of population outbreaks, determined based on field surveys Miller 2000;Vanhatalo et al 2016) and modelling (Dight et al 1990a(Dight et al , 1990bReichelt et al 1990;Black and Moran 1991; Black 1993;Hock et al 2014;Vanhatalo et al 2016) shows that at least some larvae must be dispersed and settle on non-natal reefs, regardless of the presence of adult CoTS.…”

Section: Question 8 and 14 (Larvae And Juveniles) -What Factors Are Impmentioning

confidence: 99%

30 Years of Research on Crown-of-thorns Starfish (1986-2016): Scientific Advances and Emerging Opportunities

Pratchett¹,

Caballes²,

Wilmes³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Abstract:Research on the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS) has waxed and waned over the last few decades, mostly in accordance with the occurrence of population outbreaks at key locations, such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef. This review considers advances in our understanding of the biology and ecology of CoTS based on the latest resurgence of research interest, which culminated in this current special issue on the Biology, Ecology and Management of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish. More specifically, this review considers progress against 41 specific research questions posed in the seminal review by P. Moran 30 years ago, as well as exploring new directions for CoTS research. Despite the plethora of research on CoTS (> 1,200 research articles), there are persistent knowledge gaps that constrain effective management of outbreaks. Although directly addressing some of these questions will be extremely difficult, there have been considerable advances in understanding the biology of CoTS, if not the proximal and ultimate cause(s) of outbreaks. Moving forward, researchers need to embrace new technologies and opportunities to advance understanding of CoTS biology and behaviour, with focus given to key questions that will improve effectiveness of management to reduce the frequency and likelihood of future outbreaks, if not preventing them altogether.Keywords: Acanthaster; coral reefs, disturbance; management; population outbreaks; research priorities Peer-reviewed version available at Diversity 2017, 9, 41; doi:10.3390/d90400412 of 50 BackgroundCrown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS; Acanthaster spp., excluding A. brevispinus) are renowned for their capacity to devastate coral reef ecosystems . This is primarily because local densities of CoTS can increase from normally very low densities (<1 starfish.ha -1 ) to extremely high densities (>1,000 starfish.ha -1 ) during periodic population outbreaks (e.g. Chesher 1969). Moreover, CoTS are one of the largest and most efficient predators on scleractinian corals (Birkeland 1989). Whereas most other individual coral-feeding organisms (e.g., Chaetodon butterflyfishes, and Drupella snails) cause only localised injuries or tissue-loss (Cole et al. 2008;Rotjan and Lewis 2008), adult CoTS can kill entire corals, including relatively large colonies. High densities of CoTS will therefore, cause rapid and extensive coral depletion. In French Polynesia, for example, high densities of CoTS caused systematic coral loss around the entire circumference of the island of Moorea, killing >96% of coral between 2005(Kayal et al. 2012). More broadly, outbreaks of Acanthaster spp. are a major contributor to sustained declines in coral cover and degradation of coral reefs at many locations throughout the Indo west-Pacific (Osborne et al. 2011;Trapon et al. 2011;De'ath et al. 2012).While there has been considerable research, and a larger number of scientific articles (>940) focused on Acanthaster spp., extending back to the 1960s (Goreau 1964;Pearson and Endean 1969), research interest (and fundin...

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Formation and Breakdown of Aggregations of the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish, Acanthaster planci (L.)

Cited by 83 publications

References 6 publications

Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef: a geological perspective based upon the sediment record

Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef: a geological perspective based upon the sediment record

Effect of stony corals extracts on feeding by Acanthaster planci

30 Years of Research on Crown-of-thorns Starfish (1986-2016): Scientific Advances and Emerging Opportunities

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