Modelling Growth of Juvenile Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on the Northern Great Barrier Reef
The corallivorous crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster spp.) is a major cause of coral mortality on Indo-Pacific reefs. Despite considerable research into the biology of crown-of-thorns starfish, our understanding of the early post-settlement life stage has been hindered by the small size and crypt...
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MDPI AG
2016-12-01
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/9/1/1 |
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| author | Jennifer Wilmes Samuel Matthews Daniel Schultz Vanessa Messmer Andrew Hoey Morgan Pratchett |
| author_facet | Jennifer Wilmes Samuel Matthews Daniel Schultz Vanessa Messmer Andrew Hoey Morgan Pratchett |
| author_sort | Jennifer Wilmes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The corallivorous crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster spp.) is a major cause of coral mortality on Indo-Pacific reefs. Despite considerable research into the biology of crown-of-thorns starfish, our understanding of the early post-settlement life stage has been hindered by the small size and cryptic nature of recently settled individuals. Most growth rates are derived from either laboratory studies or field studies conducted in Fiji and Japan. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is currently experiencing its fourth recorded outbreak and population models to inform the progression of outbreaks lack critical growth rates of early life history stages. High numbers of 0+ year juveniles (n = 3532) were measured during extensive surveys of 64 reefs on the northern GBR between May and December 2015. An exponential growth model was fitted to the size measurement data to estimate monthly ranges of growth rates for 0+ year juveniles. Estimated growth rates varied considerably and increased with age (e.g., 0.028–0.041 mm·day−1 for one-month-old juveniles versus 0.108–0.216 mm·day−1 for twelve-month-old juveniles). This pioneering study of 0+ year juveniles on the GBR will inform population models and form the basis for more rigorous ongoing research to understand the fate of newly settled Acanthaster spp. |
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| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:51:16Z |
| publishDate | 2016-12-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-8f6f7dc76c844893b5000d36d9abfc692022-12-22T03:18:49ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182016-12-0191110.3390/d9010001d9010001Modelling Growth of Juvenile Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on the Northern Great Barrier ReefJennifer Wilmes0Samuel Matthews1Daniel Schultz2Vanessa Messmer3Andrew Hoey4Morgan Pratchett5ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, AustraliaARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, AustraliaRed Fish Blue Fish Marine, Cairns QLD 4870, AustraliaARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, AustraliaARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, AustraliaARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, AustraliaThe corallivorous crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster spp.) is a major cause of coral mortality on Indo-Pacific reefs. Despite considerable research into the biology of crown-of-thorns starfish, our understanding of the early post-settlement life stage has been hindered by the small size and cryptic nature of recently settled individuals. Most growth rates are derived from either laboratory studies or field studies conducted in Fiji and Japan. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is currently experiencing its fourth recorded outbreak and population models to inform the progression of outbreaks lack critical growth rates of early life history stages. High numbers of 0+ year juveniles (n = 3532) were measured during extensive surveys of 64 reefs on the northern GBR between May and December 2015. An exponential growth model was fitted to the size measurement data to estimate monthly ranges of growth rates for 0+ year juveniles. Estimated growth rates varied considerably and increased with age (e.g., 0.028–0.041 mm·day−1 for one-month-old juveniles versus 0.108–0.216 mm·day−1 for twelve-month-old juveniles). This pioneering study of 0+ year juveniles on the GBR will inform population models and form the basis for more rigorous ongoing research to understand the fate of newly settled Acanthaster spp.http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/9/1/1juvenile crown-of-thorns starfishgrowth ratesgrowth curve analysis |
| spellingShingle | Jennifer Wilmes Samuel Matthews Daniel Schultz Vanessa Messmer Andrew Hoey Morgan Pratchett Modelling Growth of Juvenile Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on the Northern Great Barrier Reef Diversity juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish growth rates growth curve analysis |
| title | Modelling Growth of Juvenile Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on the Northern Great Barrier Reef |
| title_full | Modelling Growth of Juvenile Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on the Northern Great Barrier Reef |
| title_fullStr | Modelling Growth of Juvenile Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on the Northern Great Barrier Reef |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modelling Growth of Juvenile Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on the Northern Great Barrier Reef |
| title_short | Modelling Growth of Juvenile Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on the Northern Great Barrier Reef |
| title_sort | modelling growth of juvenile crown of thorns starfish on the northern great barrier reef |
| topic | juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish growth rates growth curve analysis |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/9/1/1 |
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