Journal article
Knowledge Gaps in the Biology, Ecology, and Management of the Pacific Crown-of-Thorns Sea Star, Acanthaster sp., on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
The Biological Bulletin , Vol.241(3)
12/2021
PMID: 35015620
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Abstract
Crown-of-thorns sea stars (Acanthaster sp.) are among the most studied coral reef organisms, owing to their propensity to undergo major population irruptions, which contribute to significant coral loss and reef degradation throughout the Indo-Pacific. However, there are still important knowledge gaps pertaining to the biology, ecology, and management of Acanthaster sp. Renewed efforts to advance understanding and management of Pacific crown-of-thorns sea stars (Acanthastersp.) on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef require explicit consideration of relevant and tractable knowledge gaps. Drawing on established horizon scanning methodologies, this study identified contemporary knowledge gaps by asking active and/or established crown-of-thorns sea star researchers to pose critical research questions that they believe should be addressed to improve the understanding and management of crown-of-thorns sea stars on the Great Barrier Reef. A total of 38 participants proposed 246 independent research questions, organized into 7 themes: feeding ecology, demography, distribution and abundance, predation, settlement, management, and environmental change. Questions were further assigned to 48 specific topics nested within the 7 themes. During this process, redundant questions were removed, which reduced the total number of distinct research questions to 172. Research questions posed were mostly related to themes of demography (46 questions) and management (48 questions). The dominant topics, meanwhile, were the incidence of population irruptions (16 questions), feeding ecology of larval sea stars (15 questions), effects of elevated water temperature on crownof-thorns sea stars (13 questions), and predation on juveniles (12 questions). While the breadth of questions suggests that there is considerable research needed to improve understanding and management of crown-of-thorns sea stars on the Great Barrier Reef, the predominance of certain themes and topics suggests a major focus for new research while also providing a roadmap to guide future research efforts.
Details
- Title
- Knowledge Gaps in the Biology, Ecology, and Management of the Pacific Crown-of-Thorns Sea Star, Acanthaster sp., on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
- Creators
- Morgan S Pratchett - James Cook UniversityCiemon F Caballes - James Cook UniversityChristopher Cvitanovic - Australian National UniversityMaia L Raymundo - James Cook UniversityRussell C Babcock - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Oceans and Atmosphere, Queensland Biosciences Precinct, St Lucia, Queensland 4067, AustraliaMary C Bonin - Great Barrier Reef FoundationYves-Marie Bozec - The University of QueenslandDeborah Burn - James Cook UniversityMaria Byrne - University of SydneyCarolina Castro-Sanguino - The University of QueenslandCarla C. M Chen - James Cook UniversityScott A Condie - CSIRO Oceans and AtmosphereZara-Louise Cowan - University of CambridgeDione J Deaker - University of SydneyAmelia Desbiens - The University of QueenslandLyndon M Devantier - Coral Reef Research (Atherton, Queensland)Peter J Doherty - Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, AustraliaPeter C Doll - James Cook UniversityJason R Doyle - Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, AustraliaKatharina E Fabricius - Australian Institute of Marine ScienceSymon A Dworjanyn - Southern Cross UniversityMichael D. E Haywood - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationKarlo Hock - The University of QueenslandAnne K Hoggett - Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station, PMB 37, Cairns, Queensland 4870Lone Høj - Australian Institute of Marine ScienceJohn K Keesing - CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere–Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia, Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Perth, Western Australia 6009, AustraliaRichard A Kenchington - Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, AustraliaBethan J Lang - James Cook UniversityScott D Ling - University of TasmaniaSamuel A Matthews - James Cook UniversityHamish I McCallum - Griffith UniversityCamille Mellin - School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, AustraliaBenjamin Mos - Southern Cross UniversityCherie A Motti - Australian Institute of Marine SciencePeter J Mumby - The University of QueenslandRichard J. W StumpSven Uthicke - Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, AustraliaLyle Vail - Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station, PMB 37, Cairns, Queensland 4870Kennedy Wolfe - University of QueenslandShaun K Wilson - Department of Parks and Wildlife
- Publication Details
- The Biological Bulletin , Vol.241(3)
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- Identifiers
- 991012980198302368
- Copyright
- © 2021 The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Published by The University of Chicago Press.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article