Abstract
THE debate over the cause of plagues of the crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci, has been as long as the plagues themselves (for reviews see refs 1–3). Most recently, two lines of reasoning based on ecological concepts have been used to suggest that the causes of the population explosions should be sought in some abnormal event, and thus man has been implicated2–4. I believe that a more detailed consideration of the ecology of A. planci does not support this view; rather, it suggests violent population fluctuations without the assistance of man's activities.
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MOORE, R. Is Acanthaster planci an r-strategist?. Nature 271, 56–57 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/271056a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/271056a0
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