1. Farm run-off sparks invasion of coral crunchers.
- Author
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Young, Emma
- Subjects
- *
RUNOFF , *CROWN-of-thorns starfish , *WATER pollution , *PHYTOPLANKTON - Abstract
Nutrient run-off from farmland is triggering invasions of crown-of-thorns starfish that munch their way through coral in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Researchers have found the first clear evidence that water pollution, rather than overfishing or natural causes, is to blame. To home in on the cause of outbreaks, Glenn De'ath of Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville, Queensland and his colleagues looked at the influence of chlorophyll levels in reef waters, which indicate the amount of phytoplankton available for the starfish larvae to eat.
- Published
- 2004