Limits to Understanding and Managing Outbreaks of Crown- of- Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster spp.)
This chapter examines the evidence for and against the principal hypotheses put forward to explain spatial and temporal patterns of outbreaks and also explores whether it is possible or feasible to intervene and limit ongoing degradation caused by crown-of-thorns starfish. It highlights gaps in knowledge of the biology of Acanthaster spp. that persist, despite five decades of research, and constrain both understanding of the causes and effective management of outbreaks. Fabricius et al. argued that the confluence of high nutrients and midshelf reefs is limited to northern latitudes, between 14.5 S and 17.0 S, and it is only that nutrient concentrations exceed minimal thresholds necessary for survivorship of crown-of-thorns larvae. Rapid declines in abundance of crown-of-thorns starfish following almost total consumption of coral prey might also be partly attributable to pathogenesis, whereby severe limits to energetic, nutrient, or vitamin intake increases susceptibility to opportunistic pathogens that are ubiquitous in the marine environment.