Field measurement of survival rates of juvenile Acanthaster planci: techniques and preliminary results

Abstract

Techniques are described which enable measurement of mortality rates of post-metamoprhic Acanthaster planci as small as 0.5 mm in the field. Mortality rates at this time are significant, viz. 6.49% d-1 for 1-mo-old starfish (mean size 1.1 mm) decreasing to 1.24 and 0.45% d-1 for 4- (2.7 mm) and 7-mo-old (5.5 mm) starfish respectively. the major source of mortality was predation by epibenthic fauna. In the presence of adequate food supply juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish move very little. -from Authors