Predator crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) outbreak, mass mortality of corals, and cascading effects on reef fish and benthic communities
| Autor: | Julie Vercelloni, Pauline Bosserelle, Mohsen Kayal, Thierry Lison de Loma, Sylvie Geoffroy, François Michonneau, Yannick Chancerelle, Mehdi Adjeroud, Serge Planes, Céline Stievenart, Lucie Penin |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL (LabEX CORAIL), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université de la Polynésie Française (UPF)-Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC)-Institut d'écologie et environnement-Université des Antilles (UA), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Biocomplexité des écosystèmes coralliens de l'Indo-Pacifique (CoReUS2), Department of Biology [Gainesville] (UF|Biology), University of Florida [Gainesville] (UF), Laboratoire d'Ecologie Marine (ECOMAR), Université de La Réunion (UR), This study was supported by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Overseas Territories, the EU funded project PSICoPopS (EC FP7 - PIOF-220798), and the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes. M. Kayal was supported by a grant from La Polyne'sienne des Eaux (www. polynesienne-des-eaux.pf) and Plane'te Urgence (www.planete-urgence.org), and by Aqua Lung (www.aqualung.com) through the provision of SCUBA-diving equipment. |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Coral reef fish Population Dynamics 01 natural sciences Starfish Predator-Prey Dynamics Relative Abundance Distribution Aquaculture of coral Macroecology Multidisciplinary geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology Coral Reefs Fishes Marine Ecology Coral reef Biodiversity Anthozoa Trophic Interactions Community Ecology Corals [SDE]Environmental Sciences Medicine population characteristics Coral reef protection Coastal Ecology geographic locations Research Article Ecological Metrics Population Size Science Ecological Risk Marine Biology Biology 010603 evolutionary biology Population Metrics Animals 14. Life underwater Reef Community Structure geography Population Biology Resilience of coral reefs 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology fungi Acanthaster technology industry and agriculture Species Diversity biochemical phenomena metabolism and nutrition biology.organism_classification Invertebrates Fishery Species Interactions Species Richness Population Ecology Environmental issues with coral reefs |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Public Library of Science, 2012, 7 (10), pp.e47363. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0047363⟩ PLoS ONE, 2012, 7 (10), pp.e47363. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0047363⟩ PLoS ONE, Vol 7, Iss 10, p e47363 (2012) |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0047363⟩ |
| Popis: | International audience; Outbreaks of the coral-killing seastar Acanthaster planci are intense disturbances that can decimate coral reefs. These events consist of the emergence of large swarms of the predatory seastar that feed on reef-building corals, often leading to widespread devastation of coral populations. While cyclic occurrences of such outbreaks are reported from many tropical reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific, their causes are hotly debated, and the spatio-temporal dynamics of the outbreaks and impacts to reef communities remain unclear. Based on observations of a recent event around the island of Moorea, French Polynesia, we show that Acanthaster outbreaks are methodic, slow-paced, and diffusive biological disturbances. Acanthaster outbreaks on insular reef systems like Moorea's appear to originate from restricted areas confined to the ocean-exposed base of reefs. Elevated Acanthaster densities then progressively spread to adjacent and shallower locations by migrations of seastars in aggregative waves that eventually affect the entire reef system. The directional migration across reefs appears to be a search for prey as reef portions affected by dense seastar aggregations are rapidly depleted of living corals and subsequently left behind. Coral decline on impacted reefs occurs by the sequential consumption of species in the order of Acanthaster feeding preferences. Acanthaster outbreaks thus result in predictable alteration of the coral community structure. The outbreak we report here is among the most intense and devastating ever reported. Using a hierarchical, multi-scale approach, we also show how sessile benthic communities and resident coral-feeding fish assemblages were subsequently affected by the decline of corals. By elucidating the processes involved in an Acanthaster outbreak, our study contributes to comprehending this widespread disturbance and should thus benefit targeted management actions for coral reef ecosystems. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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