[Coral-List] Crown-of-thorns starfish really a gang of four
Gert Wörheide
woerheide at lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Mon Oct 6 08:04:35 EDT 2008
Dear colleagues,
this might slip under the radar of some, but might be of interest:
A threat to coral reefs multiplied? Four species of crown-of-thorns
starfish
Catherine Vogler, John Benzie, Harilaos Lessios, Paul Barber, Gert
Wörheide
Biology Letters (online only as yet)
Abstract: In the face of ever-increasing threats to coral reef
ecosystems, it is essential to understand the impact of natural
predators in order to devise appropriate management strategies.
Destructive population explosions of the crown-of-thorns starfish
Acanthaster planci have devastated coral reefs throughout the Indo-
Pacific for decades. But despite extensive research, the causes of
outbreaks are still unclear. An important consideration in this
research is that A. planci has been regarded as a single taxonomic
entity. Using molecular data from its entire distribution, we find
that A. planci is in fact a species complex. This discovery has
important consequences for future coral reef research, and might prove
critical for successful reef conservation management.
<http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/x87p263447251280/?p=ff8f57ac00e14b969aeb098049d8fded&pi=2
>
See also the feature at Ove's Climateshifts blog (<http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=561
>)
best regards
Gert
---
Please note new address:
Prof. Dr. Gert Wörheide
Department of Geo- and Environmental Sciences
& GeoBio-CenterLMU
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen
Richard-Wagner-Straße 10
80333 Muenchen
Phone: +49 (89) 2180-6602 (Secretary)
Fax: +49 (89) 2180-6601
E-Mail: woerheide at lrz.uni-muenchen.de
www.lmu.de/palaeo
www.geobio-center.lmu.de
www.mol-palaeo.de
www.spongebarcoding.org
www.spongegenetrees.org
www.deepdownunder.de
Lab publications:
www.molecularpalaeobiology.eu
www.researcherid.com/rid/C-1080-2008
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