Assessment of crown-of-thorns skeletal elements in surface sediment of the Great Barrier Reef

Abstract

A total of 1655 crown-of-thorns starfish skeletal elements were recovered from 237 surface sediment samples from Davies, Centipede, Myrmidon, Hope, Holbourne Island, 22–110, Gannet Cay and Lady Musgrave Island Reefs of the central and southern sectors of the Great Barrier Reef. Three categories of reef may be recognised on the incidence of Acanthaster planci skeletal elements in surface sediment from these and previously studied reefs: category A (abundant, >12 elements kg^1-), category C (common, 3–8 elements kg^-1) and category C (rare, 0–0.1 elements kg^-1). These categories parallel estimates of crown-of-thorns populations in the period 1986–1990. “A” reefs have generally experienced high intensity outbreaks, “C” reefs less intense or perhaps less frequent outbreaks and “R” reefs have had little or no crown-of-thorns presence. The incidence of crown-of-thorns skeletal elements in surface sediment potentially provides an indication of population densities and outbreaks over a time scale of several decades. A perspective of contemporary crown-of-thorns incidence on the many reefs of the GBR lacking direct observational records may thereby be obtained. For Holbourne Island a comparison was made of element incidence in an area of known mass mortality induced by poisoning with a control area that was undisturbed. The incidence of A. planci skeletal elements is comparable in the two areas and similar to the incidence established for other reefs such as Green Island and John Brewer where high intensity outbreaks are known to have occurred. A direct relationship between high incidence of elements in surface sediment and mass mortality following outbreak events is indicated.