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Echinobase
ECB-ART-43833
Sci Rep 2015 Feb 12;5:8402. doi: 10.1038/srep08402.
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Climate change as an unexpected co-factor promoting coral eating seastar (Acanthaster planci) outbreaks.

Uthicke S , Logan M , Liddy M , Francis D , Hardy N , Lamare M .


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Coral reefs face a crisis due to local and global anthropogenic stressors. A large proportion of the ~50% coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef has been attributed to outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns-seastar (COTS). A widely assumed cause of primary COTS outbreaks is increased larval survivorship due to higher food availability, linked with anthropogenic runoff . Our experiment using a range of algal food concentrations at three temperatures representing present day average and predicted future increases, demonstrated a strong influence of food concentration on development is modulated by temperature. A 2°C increase in temperature led to a 4.2-4.9 times (at Day 10) or 1.2-1.8 times (Day 17) increase in late development larvae. A model indicated that food was the main driver, but that temperature was an important modulator of development. For instance, at 5000 cells ml(-1) food, a 2°C increase may shorten developmental time by 30% and may increase the probability of survival by 240%. The main contribution of temperature is to ''push'' well-fed larvae faster to settlement. We conclude that warmer sea temperature is an important co-factor promoting COTS outbreaks.

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Species referenced: Echinodermata
Genes referenced: LOC100887844 LOC100893907 LOC115925415


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References [+] :
Allen, Kinetic effects of temperature on rates of genetic divergence and speciation. 2006, Pubmed