Starfish supper

摘要

Coral reefs around the world face many challenges. Coral bleaching (linked to climate change), pollution and hurricanes ali take their toll. Many reef systems in the lndo-Pacific region， including Australia's Great Barrier Reef, face an additional, biological threat. Each adult crown of thorns sea star - COTS - can consume its own body area of living coral every night (see Figure A). These nocturnal animals can grow to a width of up to a metre, and on average each individual destroys 13 square metres of coral per year.