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Science 18 July 1969:
Vol. 165. no. 3890, pp. 280 - 283
DOI: 10.1126/science.165.3890.280
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Articles

Destruction of Pacific Corals by the Sea Star Acanthaster planci

Richard H. Chesher 1

1 University of Guam, Agana, Guam

Acanthaster planci, a coral predator, is undergoing a population explosion in many areas of the Pacific Ocean. Data on feeding rates, population movements, and stages of infestation were collected along coral reefs of Guam and Palau. Direct observations on destruction of Guam's coral reefs indicate that narrow, fringing reefs may be killed as rapidly as 1 kilometer per month. In a 2frac12-year period, 90 percent of the coral was killed along 38 kilometers of Guam's shoreline.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Catastrophic Decline of a Top Carnivore in the Gulf of California Rocky Intertidal Zone.
M. L. DUNGAN, T. E. MILLER, and D. A. THOMSON (1982)
Science 216, 989-991
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Acanthaster: Effect on Coral Reef Growth in Panama.
P. W. Glynn (1973)
Science 180, 504-506
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Coral-Eating Sea Stars Acanthaster planci in Hawaii.
J. M. Branham, S. A. Reed, J. H. Bailey, and J. Caperon (1971)
Science 172, 1155-1157
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