The morphological dietary preferences of an outbreaking population of corallivorous crown-of-thorns sea stars (Acanthaster sp.) in the Gulf of Thailand

IF 2.9 4区 环境科学与生态学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Gavin Miller, Piers Baillie, Getsamol Chaona, Enrico Montalbetti, Jasmine Ramshaw, Doris Aschauer
{"title":"The morphological dietary preferences of an outbreaking population of corallivorous crown-of-thorns sea stars (Acanthaster sp.) in the Gulf of Thailand","authors":"Gavin Miller,&nbsp;Piers Baillie,&nbsp;Getsamol Chaona,&nbsp;Enrico Montalbetti,&nbsp;Jasmine Ramshaw,&nbsp;Doris Aschauer","doi":"10.1007/s10661-024-13582-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The current study investigated the morphological dietary preferences of an outbreaking population of corallivorous crown-of-thorn sea stars (<i>Acanthaster</i> sp.) in Koh Tao, situated in the Gulf of Thailand. The local effects of such populations deemed to be in outbreak are currently poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the localised feeding behaviours of <i>Acanthaster</i> sp. within an outbreak population, so as to better understand the reefs vulnerable to future outbreaks. Data was collected over a 2-year period, using underwater visual census methods. Survey parameters included sea star abundance, as well as substrate composition and frequency of observed predation scarring. <i>Acanthaster</i> sp. populations were observed to consistently exceed regional outbreak definitions (34.4 individuals ha<sup>−1</sup>), and demonstrated unimodal size distribution consistent with a primary outbreak. Analysis of feeding behaviour displayed some evidence to support previous claims of density-dependent predation within <i>Acanthaster</i> sp. populations. Van der Ploeg and Scavia tests of dietary preference appeared to suggest that <i>Acanthaster</i> sp. have a marked preference for coral morphologies belonging to tabular and arborescent coral types, and a strong avoidance for massive, laminar, submassive, and solitary coral morphs. Furthermore, <i>Acanthaster</i> sp. displayed a preference towards small coral colonies between 0 and 20 cm. This finding has potential significance for reef resilience and diversity within areas at risk of CoT outbreaks, and seemingly opposes previous literature in other regions. Overall, the current study displays a host of evidence shedding light on <i>Acanthaster</i> sp. ecology and dietary preferences within an outbreaking population density in the Gulf of Thailand. Moreover, there is clear evidence highlighting large spatial variation in the ecology of crown-of-thorns sea stars feeding ecology, and as such demonstrates the requirement for increased localised studies of <i>Acanthaster</i> sp. that accounts for environmental and ecological heterogeneity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-024-13582-2","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

The current study investigated the morphological dietary preferences of an outbreaking population of corallivorous crown-of-thorn sea stars (Acanthaster sp.) in Koh Tao, situated in the Gulf of Thailand. The local effects of such populations deemed to be in outbreak are currently poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the localised feeding behaviours of Acanthaster sp. within an outbreak population, so as to better understand the reefs vulnerable to future outbreaks. Data was collected over a 2-year period, using underwater visual census methods. Survey parameters included sea star abundance, as well as substrate composition and frequency of observed predation scarring. Acanthaster sp. populations were observed to consistently exceed regional outbreak definitions (34.4 individuals ha−1), and demonstrated unimodal size distribution consistent with a primary outbreak. Analysis of feeding behaviour displayed some evidence to support previous claims of density-dependent predation within Acanthaster sp. populations. Van der Ploeg and Scavia tests of dietary preference appeared to suggest that Acanthaster sp. have a marked preference for coral morphologies belonging to tabular and arborescent coral types, and a strong avoidance for massive, laminar, submassive, and solitary coral morphs. Furthermore, Acanthaster sp. displayed a preference towards small coral colonies between 0 and 20 cm. This finding has potential significance for reef resilience and diversity within areas at risk of CoT outbreaks, and seemingly opposes previous literature in other regions. Overall, the current study displays a host of evidence shedding light on Acanthaster sp. ecology and dietary preferences within an outbreaking population density in the Gulf of Thailand. Moreover, there is clear evidence highlighting large spatial variation in the ecology of crown-of-thorns sea stars feeding ecology, and as such demonstrates the requirement for increased localised studies of Acanthaster sp. that accounts for environmental and ecological heterogeneity.

Abstract Image

泰国湾爆发的珊瑚食性棘冠海星(Acanthaster sp.)种群的形态学饮食偏好
本研究调查了泰国湾涛岛珊瑚食性棘冠海星(Acanthaster sp.)暴发种群的形态学饮食偏好。这些被认为处于疫情中的人群对当地的影响目前知之甚少。因此,本研究的目的是调查爆发种群中Acanthaster sp.的局部摄食行为,以便更好地了解易受未来爆发影响的珊瑚礁。数据收集超过2年的时间,使用水下视觉普查方法。调查参数包括海星丰度、基质组成和观察到的捕食疤痕频率。观察到棘球绦虫种群数量持续超过区域暴发定义(34.4个体每−1),并且表现出与初次暴发一致的单峰大小分布。对摄食行为的分析显示了一些证据,支持了先前关于棘齿鼠种群中捕食依赖于密度的说法。Van der Ploeg和Scavia的饮食偏好测试似乎表明,Acanthaster sp.对属于板状和乔木珊瑚类型的珊瑚形态有明显的偏好,对块状、层状、亚块状和孤独珊瑚形态有强烈的回避。此外,Acanthaster sp.对0 ~ 20 cm的小珊瑚群落表现出偏好。这一发现对有CoT爆发风险地区的珊瑚礁恢复力和多样性具有潜在意义,似乎与其他地区的先前文献相反。总的来说,目前的研究显示了大量的证据,揭示了泰国湾爆发的人口密度中棘足鼠的生态和饮食偏好。此外,有明确的证据表明,棘冠海星喂养生态的生态存在很大的空间差异,因此需要增加对棘冠海星的局部研究,以解释环境和生态异质性。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 环境科学-环境科学
CiteScore
4.70
自引率
6.70%
发文量
1000
审稿时长
7.3 months
期刊介绍: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment emphasizes technical developments and data arising from environmental monitoring and assessment, the use of scientific principles in the design of monitoring systems at the local, regional and global scales, and the use of monitoring data in assessing the consequences of natural resource management actions and pollution risks to man and the environment.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信