ArticleNature communications2021
Fish predators control outbreaks of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish.
Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 73 citations in OpenAlex.
- Corals and Reef-Dwelling Fish Regulate Carbon Storage and Cycling Processes in Coral Reef Ecosystems.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Impacts of local anthropogenic stressors outpace those of climate on coral reef collapse in the northern South China Sea.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Methanogenic recovery under organic overload using starfish-derived powder.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Protection of coral reef fish delivers ecosystem-critical biocontrol of coral-eating starfish across the Great Barrier Reef.Nature ecology & evolution · 2026Article
- Rates of Spawning and Mortality Using Contrasting Methods for Culling Pacific Crown-of-Thorns Starfish,Biology · 2025Article
- Genomic analyses support locally derived crown-of-thorns seastar outbreaks in the Pacific.BMC biology · 2025Article
- A control theory framework and in situ experimental platform for informing restoration of coral reefs.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Review
- Herbivore Fronts Shape Saltmarsh Plant Traits and Performance.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- eDNA confirms lower trophic interactions help to modulate population outbreaks of the notorious crown-of-thorns sea star.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Predator removals, trophic cascades and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish on coral reefs.Communications biology · 2025Review
- Article
- Chemosensory behaviour of juvenile crown-of-thorns sea star (Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2024Article
- Protecting Great Barrier Reef resilience through effective management of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.PloS one · 2024Article
- Increasing densities of Pacific crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster cf. solaris) at Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef, resolved using a novel survey method.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Culling corallivores improves short-term coral recovery under bleaching scenarios.Nature communications · 2022Article
- Crown of thorns starfish life-history traits contribute to outbreaks, a continuing concern for coral reefs.Emerging topics in life sciences · 2022Article
- Fish predators control outbreaks of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish.Nature communications · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Outbreaks of corallivorous Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (CoTS, Acanthaster spp.) have caused persistent and widespread loss of coral cover across Indo-Pacific coral reefs. The potential drivers of these outbreaks have been debated for more than 50 years, hindering effective management to limit their destructive impacts. Here, we show that fish biomass removal through commercial and recreational fisheries may be a major driver of CoTS population outbreaks. CoTS densities increase systematically with increasing fish biomass removal, including for known CoTS predators. Moreover, the biomass of fish species and families that influence CoTS densities are 1.4 to 2.1-fold higher on reefs within no-take marine reserves, while CoTS densities are 2.8-fold higher on reefs that are open to fishing, indicating the applicability of fisheries-based management to prevent CoTS outbreaks. Designing targeted fisheries management with consideration of CoTS population dynamics may offer a tangible and promising contribution to effectively reduce the detrimental impacts of CoTS outbreaks across the Indo-Pacific.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.