CROWN-OF-THORNS STARFISH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Dr. Peter Moran On-line Reference Series

 

Contents
Preface	Preface
Corals and coral reefs	What is a coral What is a coral reef
Starfish in general	What is a starfish Do starfish have eyes Can starfish feel Do starfish have a skeleton
Appearance	What does a crown-of-thorns starfish look like
Habitat	Where are crown-of-thorns starfish found on reefs
Distribution	Are they found only on the Great Barrier Reef
Table 1	Table 1
Outbreaks	What is an outbreak of starfish Where have outbreaks been recorded Is the Great Barrier Reef being destroyed by outbreaks What causes outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish How long do outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish last Where do all the starfish go at the end of an outbreak
Occurrence in the past	When were they first recorded on coral reefs Have outbreaks occurred in the past
Predators	Are they eaten by other animals How do predators feed on them
Feeding	How do crown-of-thorns starfish eat Do they prefer to feed on particular types of corals Do they eat any other foods apart from corals
Movement	How do crown-of-thorns starfish move How fast can crown-of-thorns starfish move Do crown-of-thorns starfish move between reefs
Reproduction	How does the crown-of-thorns starfish reproduce
Life cycle	What is the life cycle of the crown-of-thorns starfish
Larval dispersal and settlement	How far do larvae travel, where do they go Where do the larvae settle on reefs
Tagging	Can the crown-of-thorns starfish be tagged
Toxicity	Are crown-of-thorns starfish toxic
Diseases	Do crown-of-thorns starfish suffer from diseases
Effects on corals	What happens to a coral once it has been eaten Do reefs recover from outbreaks
Effects on fish	Are any other organisms apart from corals affected
History of outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef	What is the history of outbreaks on the GBR
Extent of activity and effects	How much of the GBR has been affected in recent times
Controlling crown-of-thorns starfish populations	Can crown-of-thorns starfish be controlled
Present research	What is being done to understand the phenomenon
The crown-of-thorns starfish phenomenon: a problem	Is it a problem on the Great Barrier Reef What can be done Has the problem been suppressed in the past
Glossary	Glossary of terms
Publisher	Details

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Last updated - 12 December 97

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