Acanthaster planci on the Great Barrier Reef

Acanthaster planci on the Great Barrier Reef

The organism Acanthaster planci, commonly known as the crown of thorns starfish, has a drastic effect on the health of coral reefs all over the world, including the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. This poisonous echinoderm feeds upon the coral, and although this should be a healthy and natural part of the ecosystem, the population explosions of the starfish have caused devastation in many portions of the Great Barrier Reef. Reef sections take anywhere from ten to fifteen years to recover, and some never recover completely with the same species distribution. The starfish outbreaks seem to travel southward down the reef with the two primary outbreaks reported in the last 40 years both beginning around Green Island and ending between Cairns and Townsville. The cause of these outbreaks is still unknown. They may be natural phenomena occurring throughout history, or they may be caused by human influences. The most effective control method currently is the injecting of sodium bisulfate into the starfish which kills the organism in a matter of days. However, this method is costly and is not a permanent solution to the problem. The Cooperative Research Centre for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the Australia Institute of Marine Science Research are conducting various research projects looking for environmentally sound and economically practical methods of controlling Acanthaster planci populations.

Introduction

Acanthaster planci, commonly known as the crown-of-thorns starfish, is an echinoderm that has attracted much attention and has been the focus of much research over the past few decades. Although the starfish has interesting physic...

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