Publications

larval starvation to satiation: influence of nutrient regime on the success of acanthaster planci.	high density populations of the crown-of-thorns seastar, acanthaster planci, are a major contributor to the decline of coral reefs, however the causes behind periodic outbreaks of this species are not understood. the enhanced nutrients hypothesis posits that pulses of enhanced larval food in eutrophic waters facilitate metamorphic success with a flow-on effect for population growth. the larval resilience hypothesis suggests that a. planci larvae naturally thrive in tropical oligotrophic waters. ...	2015	25790074
three new steroid biglycosides, plancisides a, b, and c, from the starfish acanthaster planci.	three new steroid biglycosides, plancisides a-c (1-3), were isolated from the ethanolic extract of the starfish acanthaster planci. the structures of 1-3 were determined by extensive nmr and esi-ms techniques, as (24s)-28-o-[β-d-galactofuranosyl-(1-->5)-α-l-arabinofuranosyl]-24-methyl-5α-cholestane-3β, 4β, 6α, 8, 15α,16α, 28-heptol (1), (24s)-28-o-[α-l-fucopyranosyl-(1 --> 2)-3-o-methy-β-d-xylopyranosy]-24-methy-5α-cholestane-3β, 4β,6α,8,15β,16β,28- heptol (2) and (24s)-28-o-[2,4-di-o-methyl-β-d ...	2014	25918789
plancitoxin i from the venom of crown-of-thorns starfish (acanthaster planci) induces oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress associated cytotoxicity in a375.s2 cells.	the crown-of-thorns starfish acanthaster planci is a venomous starfish whose venom provokes strong cytotoxicity. in the present study, the purified cytotoxic toxin of a. planci venom (cav) was identified as plancitoxin i protein by mass spectrum analyses. this study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the cytotoxicity function of plancitoxin i by focusing on the oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (er) stress pathway in human melanoma a375.s2 ...	2015	25952364
two chlorinated benzofuran derivatives from the marine fungus pseudallescheria boydii.	the marine fungus pseudallescheria boydii was isolated from the inner tissue of the starfish acanthaster planci. this fungus was cultured in a high salinity glucose-peptone-yeast extract (gpy) medium. two new chlorinated benzofuran derivatives, 6-chloro-2-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)-2,3-dihydro-5 hydroxybenzofuran (1) and 7-chloro-2-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)-2,3-dihydro-5-hydroxybenzofuran (2), were obtained from the extract of the culture broth. their structures were determined by analysis of the nmr a ...	2015	25973491
ecologically based targets for bioavailable (reactive) nitrogen discharge from the drainage basins of the wet tropics region, great barrier reef.	a modelling framework is developed for the wet tropics region of the great barrier reef that links a quantitative river discharge parameter (viz. dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentration, din) with an eutrophication indicator within the marine environment (viz. chlorophyll-a concentration, chl-a). the model predicts catchment-specific levels of reduction (%) in end-of-river din concentrations (as a proxy for total potentially reactive nitrogen, prn) needed to ensure compliance with chl-a 'trig ...	2015	26072049
competitors as accomplices: seaweed competitors hide corals from predatory sea stars.	indirect biotic effects arising from multispecies interactions can alter the structure and function of ecological communities--often in surprising ways that can vary in direction and magnitude. on pacific coral reefs, predation by the crown-of-thorns sea star, acanthaster planci, is associated with broad-scale losses of coral cover and increases of macroalgal cover. macroalgal blooms increase coral-macroalgal competition and can generate further coral decline. however, using a combination of man ...	2015	26311663
lime juice and vinegar injections as a cheap and natural alternative to control cots outbreaks.	outbreaks of the corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastar acanthaster planci (cots) represent one of the greatest disturbances to coral reef ecosystems in the indo-pacific, affecting not only coral reefs but also the coastal communities which rely on their resources. while injection approaches are increasingly used in an attempt to control cots densities, most of them display severe drawbacks including logistical challenges, high residual environmental impacts or low cost-effectiveness. we tested a ...	2015	26356840
understanding the spatio-temporal response of coral reef fish communities to natural disturbances: insights from beta-diversity decomposition.	understanding how communities respond to natural disturbances is fundamental to assess the mechanisms of ecosystem resistance and resilience. however, ecosystem responses to natural disturbances are rarely monitored both through space and time, while the factors promoting ecosystem stability act at various temporal and spatial scales. hence, assessing both the spatial and temporal variations in species composition is important to comprehensively explore the effects of natural disturbances. here, ...	2015	26393511
environmental triggers for primary outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish on the great barrier reef, australia.	in this paper, we postulate a unique environmental triggering sequence for primary outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (cots, acanthaster planci) on the central great barrier reef (gbr, australia). notably, we extend the previous terrestrial runoff hypothesis, viz. nutrient-enriched terrestrial runoff → elevated phytoplankton 'bloom' concentrations → enhanced cots larval survival, to include the additional importance of strong larvae retention around reefs or within reef groups (clusters) that ...	2015	26460182
explained and unexplained tissue loss in corals from the tropical eastern pacific.	coral reefs rival rainforest in biodiversity, but are declining in part because of disease. tissue loss lesions, a manifestation of disease, are present in dominant pocillopora along the pacific coast of mexico. we characterized tissue loss in 7 species of pocillopora from 9 locations (44 sites) spanning southern to northern mexico. corals were identified to species, and tissue loss lesions were photographed and classified as those explainable by predation and those that were unexplained. a foca ...	2015	26480915
controlling range expansion in habitat networks by adaptively targeting source populations.	controlling the spread of invasive species, pests, and pathogens is often logistically limited to interventions that target specific locations at specific periods. however, in complex, highly connected systems, such as marine environments connected by ocean currents, populations spread dynamically in both space and time via transient connectivity links. this results in nondeterministic future distributions of species in which local populations emerge dynamically and concurrently over a large are ...	2016	26633077
five new cytotoxic metabolites from the marine fungus neosartorya pseudofischeri.	the marine fungus neosartorya pseudofischeri was isolated from acanthaster planci from the south china sea. in a preliminary bioactivity screening, the crude methanol extract of the fungal mycelia showed significant inhibitory activity against the sf9 cell line from the fall armyworm spodoptera frugiperda. five novel compounds, including 5-olefin phenylpyropene a (1), 13-dehydroxylpyripyropene a (4), deacetylsesquiterpene (7), 5-formyl-6-hydroxy-8-isopropyl-2- naphthoic acid (9) and 6,8-dihydrox ...	2016	26771621
marine protected areas increase resilience among coral reef communities.	with marine biodiversity declining globally at accelerating rates, maximising the effectiveness of conservation has become a key goal for local, national and international regulators. marine protected areas (mpas) have been widely advocated for conserving and managing marine biodiversity yet, despite extensive research, their benefits for conserving non-target species and wider ecosystem functions remain unclear. here, we demonstrate that mpas can increase the resilience of coral reef communitie ...	2016	27038889
the role of maternal nutrition on oocyte size and quality, with respect to early larval development in the coral-eating starfish, acanthaster planci.	variation in local environmental conditions can have pronounced effects on the population structure and dynamics of marine organisms. previous studies on crown-of-thorns starfish, acanthaster planci, have primarily focused on effects of water quality and nutrient availability on larval growth and survival, while the role of maternal nutrition on reproduction and larval development has been overlooked. to examine the effects of maternal nutrition on oocyte size and early larval development in a. ...	2016	27327627
active control of the visual field in the starfish acanthaster planci.	photoreception in echinoderms has been studied for several years with a focus on the dermal photoreceptors of echinoids. even though spatial vision has been proposed for this dermal photosystem, by far the most advanced system is found in a number of asteroids where an unpaired tube foot at the tip of each arm carries a proper eye, also known as the optical cushion. the eyes resemble compound eyes, except for the lack of true optics, and they typically have between 50 and 250 ommatidia each. the ...	2016	27450160
the role of vision for navigation in the crown-of-thorns seastar, acanthaster planci.	coral reefs all over the indo-pacific suffer from substantial damage caused by the crown-of-thorns seastar acanthaster planci, a voracious predator that moves on and between reefs to seek out its coral prey. chemoreception is thought to guide a. planci. as vision was recently introduced as another sense involved in seastar navigation, we investigated the potential role of vision for navigation in a. planci. we estimated the spatial resolution and visual field of the compound eye using histologic ...	2016	27476750
pyrrole oligoglycosides from the starfish acanthaster planci suppress lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in raw264.7 macrophages.	two new pyrrole oligoglycosides, plancipyrrosides a and b (1 and 2), were isolated from methanol extract of the vietnamese starfish acanthaster planci using various chromatographic procedures. their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including one and two dimensional (1d- and 2d)-nmr and fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (ft-icr)-ms. the finding of 1 and 2 represents the third case of pyrrole oligoglycosides obtaining reported to date. moreover, plancipyrroside b (2) exh ...	2016	27600480
crown-of-thorns starfish have true image forming vision.	photoreceptors have evolved numerous times giving organisms the ability to detect light and respond to specific visual stimuli. studies into the visual abilities of the asteroidea (echinodermata) have recently shown that species within this class have a more developed visual sense than previously thought and it has been demonstrated that starfish use visual information for orientation within their habitat. whereas image forming eyes have been suggested for starfish, direct experimental proof of ...	2016	27605999
joint estimation of crown of thorns (acanthaster planci) densities on the great barrier reef.	crown-of-thorns starfish (cots; acanthaster spp.) are an outbreaking pest among many indo-pacific coral reefs that cause substantial ecological and economic damage. despite ongoing cots research, there remain critical gaps in observing cots populations and accurately estimating their numbers, greatly limiting understanding of the causes and sources of cots outbreaks. here we address two of these gaps by (1) estimating the detectability of adult cots on typical underwater visual count (uvc) surve ...	2016	27635314
coral recovery in the central maldives archipelago since the last major mass-bleaching, in 1998.	increasing frequency and severity of disturbances is causing global degradation of coral reef ecosystems. this study examined temporal changes in live coral cover and coral composition in the central maldives from 1997 to 2016, encompassing two bleaching events, a tsunami, and an outbreak of acanthaster planci. we also examined the contemporary size structure for five dominant coral taxa (tabular acropora, acropora muricata, acropora humilis, pocillopora spp, and massive porites). total coral co ...	2016	27694823
the potential for self-seeding by the coral pocillopora spp. in moorea, french polynesia.	coral reefs in moorea, french polynesia, suffered catastrophic coral mortality through predation by acanthaster planci from 2006 to 2010, and cyclone oli in 2010, yet by 2015 some coral populations were approaching pre-disturbance sizes. using long-term study plots, we quantified population dynamics of spawning pocillopora spp. along the north shore of moorea between 2010 and 2014, and considered evidence that population recovery could be supported by self-seeding. results scaled up from study p ...	2016	27867759
assessing different causes of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and appropriate responses for management on the great barrier reef.	the crown-of-thorns starfish acanthaster planci (cots) has contributed greatly to declines in coral cover on australia's great barrier reef, and remains one of the major acute disturbances on indo-pacific coral reefs. despite uncertainty about the underlying causes of outbreaks and the management responses that might address them, few studies have critically and directly compared competing hypotheses. this study uses qualitative modelling to compare hypotheses relating to outbreak initiation, ex ...	2016	28036360
neuropeptides encoded within a neural transcriptome of the giant triton snail charonia tritonis, a crown-of-thorns starfish predator.	neuropeptides represent a diverse class of signaling molecules originating from neural tissues. these chemical modulators orchestrate complex physiological events including those associated with growth and reproduction. de novo transcriptome sequencing of a cerebral ganglion library of the endangered giant triton snail (charonia tritonis) was undertaken in an effort to identify key neuropeptides that control or influence its physiology. the giant triton snail is considered a primary predator of ...	2017	28082215
superstars: assessing nutrient thresholds for enhanced larval success of acanthaster planci, a review of the evidence.	crown-of-thorns starfish, acanthaster planci (cots), predation is a major cause of coral reef decline, but the factors behind their population outbreaks remain unclear. increased phytoplankton food resulting from eutrophication is suggested to enhance larval survival. we addressed the hypothesis that larval success is associated with particular chl-a levels in tightly controlled larval:algal conditions. we used chl-a conditions found on coral reefs (0.1-5.0μgchl-al(-1)), including nominal thresh ...	2017	28094041
estimating growth and mortality rates from size data.	a method is presented for estimating rates of individual growth and population mortality utilizing average individual size at two times during a year. the model assumes a constant rate of mortality, brody-bertalanffy growth, a stationary age distribution, and recruitment confined to one month each year. a hypothetical example is presented to show the interrelationships of the growth and mortality constants, size at recruitment, asymptotic size and average individual size. three examples are pres ...	1973	28307167
defense by symbiotic crustacea of host corals elicited by chemical cues from predator.	observations and experiments carried out on a coral reef off the pacific coast of panamá demonstrated that shrimp (alpheus lottini) and crab (trapezia spp.) symbionts that protect their host coral (pocillopora elegans) can detect an approaching sea star predator (acanthaster planci) by chemical cues. simulated feeding attacks by acanthaster in sealed transparent bags elicited only 0.5 defensive responses (snipping at spines and tube feet, jerking the sea star, and snapping) per 3 min; defensive ...	1980	28309076
environmental and biological cues for spawning in the crown-of-thorns starfish.	sporadic outbreaks of the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish are likely to be due, at least in part, to spatial and temporal variation in reproductive and settlement success. for gonochoric and broadcast spawning species such as crown-of-thorns starfish, spawning synchrony is fundamental for achieving high rates of fertilization. highly synchronized gamete release within and among distinct populations is typically the result of the entrainment of neurohormonal endogenous rhythms by cues from ...	2017	28355236
the crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest.	the crown-of-thorns starfish (cots, the acanthaster planci species group) is a highly fecund predator of reef-building corals throughout the indo-pacific region. cots population outbreaks cause substantial loss of coral cover, diminishing the integrity and resilience of reef ecosystems. here we sequenced genomes of cots from the great barrier reef, australia and okinawa, japan to identify gene products that underlie species-specific communication and could potentially be used in biocontrol strat ...	2017	28379940