Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T07:10:26.231Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Population Explosions of Acanthaster planci and Associated Destruction of the Hard-coral Cover of Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Robert Endean  and
William Stablum
Robert Endean
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.
William Stablum
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Population explosions of the Crown-of-thorns Starfish, Acanthaster planci, first reported on reefs of the Great Barrier Reef in the Cairns region near lat. 17° S during the early 1960s, have since spread to numerous other reefs. The spread has been predominantly southwards, the principal region of infestation currently lying between lat. 19° S and lat. 19°20' S. South of this region, scattered infestations of reefs have recently been reported. Available data indicate that most reefs in the middle third of the Great Barrier Reef were infested during the last decade, and it is postulated that most reefs in the southernmost third will be infested during the next decade.

The bulk of the hard-coral cover of most of the inner platform reefs infested, and a lower but significant percentage of the hard-coral cover of the outer platform reefs affected by the infestations, have been devastated. Recovery of devastated reefs is in progress but is slow.

The A. planci infestations appear to the authors to be man-induced, and it is suggested that international action be taken to assess the magnitude of the A. planci problem and to coordinate possible control activities in the Indo-West Pacific region.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , Winter 1975 , pp. 247 - 256
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1975

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barnes, J. H. & Endean, R. (1964). A dangerous starfish—Acanthaster planci (Linné). Med. J. Aust., 1, p. 592, illustr.Google Scholar
Brown, T. W. (1972). Crown of Thorns. Angus & Robertson, Sydney: xii + 128 pp.Google Scholar
Chesher, R. H. (1969). Acanthaster planci: Impact on Pacific Coral Reefs. Westinghouse Electric Corporation Report to U.S. Dept of Interior, Washington, D.C., Doc. No. PB187631; Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Techcal Information, Springfield, Virginia: 151 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Dwyer, P. D. (1971). Crown-of-thorns report. Search, 2, pp. 262–3.Google Scholar
Endean, R. (1969). Report on Investigations Made into Aspects of the Current Acanthaster planci (Crown-of-thorns) Infestations of Certain Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. Publication of the Fisheries Branch, Queensland, Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane: 33 pp. + 2 maps.Google Scholar
Endean, R. (1971). A criticism of the report of the committee on the problem of the Crown-of-thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci). Operculum, 2, pp. 36–48.Google Scholar
Endean, R. (1973). Population explosions of Acanthaster planci and associated destruction of hermatypic corals in the Indo-West Pacific region. Pp. 389–438 in Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs, Volume II, Biology I (Ed. Jones, O. A. & Endean, R.). Academic Press, New York: xxi + 480 pp., illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Endean, R. (1974). Acanthaster planci on the Great Barrier Reef. Pp. 563–76 in Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Coral Reefs (Ed. Cameron, A. M., Campbell, B. M., Cribb, A. B., Endean, R., Jell, J. S., Jones, O. A., Mather, P. & Talbot, F. H.). The Great Barrier Reef Committee, Brisbane: vi + 630 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Endean, R. (in press). Destruction and recovery of coral reef communities. In Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs, Volume III, Biology II (Ed. Jones, O. A. & Endean, R.). Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Endean, R. & Chesher, R. H. (1973). Temporal and spatial distribution of Acanthaster planci population explosions in the Indo-West Pacific region. Biological Conservation, 5(2), pp. 87–95.Google Scholar
Endean, R. & Stablum, W. (1973a). A study of some aspects of the Crown-of-thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) infestations of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Atoll Res. Bull., 167, pp. 1–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Endean, R. & Stablum, W. (1973b). The apparent extent of recovery of reefs of Australia's Great Barrier Reef devastated by the Crown-of-thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci). Atoll Res. Bull., 168, pp. 1–26.Google Scholar
Endean, R. & Stablum, W. (MS.). The Groper Promicrops lanceolatus as a predator of the Crown-of-thorns Starfish on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.Google Scholar
Glynn, P. W. (1973). Aspects of the ecology of coral reefs in the western Atlantic region. Pp. 271–324 in Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs, Volume II, Biology I (Ed. Jones, O. A. & Endean, R.). Academic Press, New York: xxi + 480 pp., illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grassle, J. F. (1973). Variety in coral reef communities. Pp. 247–70 in Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs, Volume II, Biology I (Ed. Jones, O. A. & Endean, R.). Academic Press, New York: xxi + 480 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Henderson, J. A. & Lucas, J. S. (1971). Larval development and metamorphosis of Acanthaster planci (Asteroidea). Nature (London), 232, pp. 655–7.Google Scholar
Nishihira, M. & Yamazato, K. (1974). Human interference with the coral reef community and Acanthaster infestation of Okinawa. Pp. 577–90 in Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Coral Reefs (Ed. Cameron, A. M., Campbell, B. M., Cribb, A. B., Endean, R., Jell, J. S., Jones, O. A., Mather, P. & Talbot, F. H.). The Great Barrier Reef Committee, Brisbane: vi + 630 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
O'gower, A. K., Bennett, I. & Mcmichael, D. F. (1972). Crown-of-thorns: a report to the Great Barrier Reef Committee. Search, 3, pp. 202–4.Google Scholar
Ormond, R. F. G. & Campbell, A. C. (1974). Formation and breakdown of Acanthaster planci aggregations in the Red Sea. Pp. 595–619 in Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Coral Reefs (Ed. Cameron, A. M., Campbell, B. M., Cribb, A. B., Endean, R., Jell, J. S., Jones, O. A., Mather, P. & Talbot, F. H.). The Great Barrier Reef Committee, Brisbane: vi + 630 pp., illustr.Google Scholar
Pearson, R. G. & Endean, R. (1969). A preliminary study of the coral predator Acanthaster planci (L.) (Asteroidea) on the Great Barrier Reef. Queensland Fisheries Notes, Department of Harbours and Marine, 3, pp. 27–55.Google Scholar
Polunin, N. V. C. (1974). Devastation of a fringing coral reef by Acanthaster. Nature (London), 249, pp. 589–90, fig.Google Scholar
Sanders, H. L. (1968). Marine benthic diversity: a comparative study. Amer. Nat., 102, pp. 243–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Talbot, F. H. (1971). Crown-of-thorns report. Search, 2, pp. 192–3.Google Scholar
Walsh, R. J., Harris, C. L., Harvey, J. M., Maxwell, W. G. H., Thomson, J. M. & Tranter, D. J. (1971). Report of the Committee Appointed by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments on the Problem of the Crown-of-thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci). CSIRO, Melbourne: 45 pp.Google Scholar
Yamaguchi, M. (1973). Early life-histories of coral-reef asteroids with special reference to Acanthaster planci (L.). Pp. 369–87 in Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs, Volume II, Biology I (Ed. Jones, O. A. & Endean, R.). Academic Press, New York: xxi + 480 pp., illustr.CrossRefGoogle Scholar