A threat to coral reefs multiplied? Four species of crown-of-thorns starfish

Abstract

In the face of ever-increasing threats to coral reef ecosystems, it is essential to understand the impact of natural predators in order to devise appropriate management strategies. Destructive population explosions of the crown-of-thorns star- fish Acanthaster planci have devastated coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific for decades. But despite extensive research, the causes of outbreaks are still unclear. An important consideration in this research is that A. planci has been regarded as a single taxonomic entity. Using molecular data from its entire distribution, we find that A. planci is in fact a species complex. This discovery has important consequences for future coral reef research, and might prove critical for successful reef conservationmanagement.

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Vogler, Catherine, Benzier, John, Lessios, Harilaos A., Barber, Paul, and Worheide, Gert. 2008. "<a href="https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/12224">A threat to coral reefs multiplied? Four species of crown-of-thorns starfish</a>." <em>Biology Letters</em>, 4, (6) 696–699. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0454">https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0454</a>.

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