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State of the Reef Report 2004: Crown-of-thorns starfish
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Title: | State of the Reef Report 2004: Crown-of-thorns starfish |
Authors: | Hoey, J. Chin, A. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |
ASFA Subjects: | Ecosystem disturbance Predator control |
APAIS Subject: | Environmental impact Ecology |
Location: | Reef-wide |
Category: | Animals Incidents Weeds, pests and disease |
Issue Date: | 2004 |
Publisher: | Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |
Series/Report no.: | State of the Reef Report |
Abstract: | The crown-of-thorns starfish is one of only a few animals that feed on living coral tissue. The starfish is named for the dense covering of long, sharp spines on its upper surface. At low densities the crown-of-thorns starfish is a ‘normal’ part of the reef’s ecology. However, when the numbers of crown-of-thorns starfish on a reef increase to the point where they consume coral faster than it can grow, the starfish can dramatically reduce coral cover, resulting in a major disturbance to the whole system (see Environmental status - corals). This situation is commonly known as a crown-of-thorns starfish ‘outbreak’. Outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish have been a concern on the Great Barrier Reef for more than 40 years. Research suggests that the outbreak ‘trigger point’ is around 30 mature crown-of-thorns starfish per hectare of coral reef that has average levels of coral cover. Once crown-of-thorns starfish densities exceed this threshold, the population will begin to consume coral faster than it can grow and is considered to be an outbreak population. |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11017/672 |
Type of document: | Report |
Appears in Collections: | Effects |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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Hoey_etal_2004_Crown-of-thorns_starfish_The_state_of_the_GBR_on-line.pdf | Main document | 4.1 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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