Chandler, Josie F., Burn, Deborah, Figueira, Will, Doll, Peter C., Johandes, Abby, Piccaluga, Agustina, and Pratchett, Morgan S. (2025) Daily Variation in the Feeding Activity of Pacific Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster cf. solaris). Biology, 14 (8). 1001.

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Abstract

The ecological impact of crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS; Acanthaster spp.) on coral reefs is intrinsically linked to their feeding behaviour. Management thresholds designed to mitigate coral loss driven by elevated densities of crown-of-thorns starfish rely on accurate estimates of individual feeding rates. In this study, structure-from-motion photogrammetry and intensive tracking of adult Pacific CoTS over an extended survey period were used to generate three-dimensional, high-resolution estimates of daily feeding rates. Our findings revealed substantial variation in the areal extent of coral consumed, both across consecutive days and among individuals. Notably, CoTS did not feed consistently; feeding occurred on 65% of observation days, with 2–3 days periods of inactivity common. Despite this variability, mean daily feeding rates aligned with previous studies (1.35 coral colonies d−1; 198.4 cm2 day−1 planar area, and 998.83 cm2 day−1 three-dimensional surface area). Across all tracked individuals (n = 8), feeding was recorded on 17 coral genera; however, Acropora alone accounted for 51% of colonies consumed and contributed 82% of the total three-dimensional surface area ingested during the survey period. This highlights the disproportionately large feeding yield derived from Acropora-dominated diets and raises important questions about how future declines in Acropora cover may impact CoTS feeding success and energetic intake.

Item ID:	86589
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2079-7737
Keywords:	behaviour; coral reefs; disturbance; management
Copyright Information:	© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Funders:	COTS Control Innovation Program
Research Data:	https://doi.org/10.25903/pqx9-sy53
Date Deposited:	11 Aug 2025 23:08
FoR Codes:	31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 100%
SEO Codes:	28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences @ 50% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1805 Marine systems and management > 180599 Marine systems and management not elsewhere classified @ 50%
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