Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T12:35:13.238Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Rate of natural mortality in the sea star Archaster angulatus (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2017

John K. Keesing*
Affiliation:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, M097, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, 6009, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: J. K. Keesing, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, M097, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, 6009, Australia Email: john.keesing@csiro.au

Abstract

The population size structure from a total of 876 individuals, together with published values of growth rate, maximum size and size at age were used to estimate an instantaneous rate of natural mortality (M) of 0.46–0.59 year−1 in a population of the sea star Archaster angulatus from south-western Australia. Peak abundance (17%) of all animals sampled was 105–109 mm arm radius (means of 4.2–4.8 years of age) and only one per cent of sea stars are predicted to live beyond 8 years in the population studied. There are few comparable studies on sea stars but when compared with rates of natural mortality in other echinoderms (sea urchins), A. angulatus is intermediate among species which exhibit the extremes of life history strategies, that is, those which grow very rapidly and may live just two years or less and those with very slow growth rates and which may live for decades.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bacolod, P.T. and Dy, D.T. (1986) Growth, recruitment pattern and mortality rate of the sea urchin, Tripneustes gratilla Linnaeus. Philippine Scientist 23, 114.Google Scholar
Birkeland, C. (1989) The faustian traits of the crown of thorns starfish. American Scientist 77, 154163.Google Scholar
Bos, A.R., Gumanao, G.S., Alipoyo, J.C. and Cardona, L.T. (2008) Population dynamics, reproduction and growth of the Indo-Pacific horned sea star, Protoreaster nodosus (Echinodermata; Asteroidea). Marine Biology 156, 5563.Google Scholar
Bos, A.R., Gumanao, G.S., Mueller, B. and Saceda, M.M. (2013) Size at maturation, sex differences, and pair density during the mating season of the Indo-Pacific beach star Archaster typicus (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in the Philippines. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development 57, 113119.Google Scholar
Bos, A.R., Gumanao, G.S., Van Katwijk, M.M., Mueller, B., Saceda, M.M. and Tejada, R.L.P. (2011) Ontogenetic habitat shift, population growth, and burrowing behavior of the Indo-Pacific beach star, Archaster typicus (Echinodermata; Asteroidea). Marine Biology 158, 639648.Google Scholar
Boschma, H. (1924) Űber einen Fall von Kopulation bei einer [About a case of copulation in an] Asteridae (Archaster typicus). Zoologischer Anzeiger 58, 283285.Google Scholar
Brey, T. (1991) Population dynamics of Sterechinus antarcticus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) on the Weddell Sea shelf and slope, Antarctica. Antarctic Science 3, 251256.Google Scholar
Byrne, M., O'Hara, T. and Lawrence, J. (2013) Asterias amurensis. In Lawrence, J.M. (ed.) Starfish: biology and ecology of the Asteroidea. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 174180.Google Scholar
Clark, A.M. and Rowe, F.W.E. (1971) Monograph of shallow-water Indo-West Pacific echinoderms: i–vii, 1–238, pls 1–31. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History).Google Scholar
Clemente, L.S. and Anicete, B.Z. (1949) Studies on sex-ratio, sexual dimorphism and early development of the common sea star, Archaster typicus Müller and Troschel (Family Archasteridae). Natural and Applied Science Bulletin 9, 297318.Google Scholar
Cockburn Sound Management Council. (2008) State of Cockburn Sound 2008 Report. Report to the Parliament of Western Australia. http://www.der.wa.gov.au/about-us/cockburn-sound-management-council/372-state-of-cockburn-sound.Google Scholar
Cockburn Sound Management Council. (2009) State of Cockburn Sound 2009 Report. Report to the Parliament of Western Australia. http://www.der.wa.gov.au/about-us/cockburn-sound-management-council/372-state-of-cockburn-sound.Google Scholar
Cockburn Sound Management Council. (2010) State of Cockburn Sound 2010 Report. Report to the Parliament of Western Australia. http://www.der.wa.gov.au/about-us/cockburn-sound-management-council/372-state-of-cockburn-sound.Google Scholar
Cockburn Sound Management Council. (2011) State of Cockburn Sound 2011 Report. Report to the Parliament of Western Australia. http://www.der.wa.gov.au/about-us/cockburn-sound-management-council/372-state-of-cockburn-sound.Google Scholar
Cockburn Sound Management Council. (2012) State of Cockburn Sound 2012 Report. Report to the Parliament of Western Australia. http://www.der.wa.gov.au/about-us/cockburn-sound-management-council/372-state-of-cockburn-sound.Google Scholar
Doherty, P.J. and Davidson, J. (1988) Monitoring the distribution and abundance of juvenile Acanthaster planci in the Central Great Barrier Reef. Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium 2, 131136.Google Scholar
Ebert, T.A. (1973) Estimating growth and mortality rates from size data. Oecologia 11, 281298.Google Scholar
Ebert, T.A. (1975) Growth and mortality of post-larval echinoids. American Zoologist 15, 755775.Google Scholar
Ebert, T.A. (1982) Longevity, life history, and relative body wall size in sea urchins. Ecological Monographs 52, 353394.Google Scholar
Ebert, T.A. (2013) Growth and survival of post-settlement sea urchins. In Lawrence, J.M. (ed.) Edible sea urchins: biology and ecology, 3rd edition. New York, NY: Elsevier, pp. 83117.Google Scholar
Ebert, T.A. and Russell, M.P. (1993) Growth and mortality of subtidal red sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) at San Nicolas Island, California, USA: problems with models. Marine Biology 117, 7989.Google Scholar
Endean, R. (1973) Population explosions of Acanthaster planci and associated destruction of hermatypic corals in the Indo-West Pacific region. Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs 2, 389438.Google Scholar
Freire, C.A., Santos, P.J.P., Fontoura, N.F., Magalhaes, R.A.O. and Grohmann, P.A. (1992) Growth and spatial distribution of Cassidulus mitis (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) on a sandy beach in Southeastern Brazil. Marine Biology 112, 625630.Google Scholar
Galstoff, P.S. and Loosanoff, V.L. (1939) Natural history and method of controlling the starfish (Asterias forbesi). Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Fisheries 49, 73132.Google Scholar
Jørgensen, C. and Holt, R.E. (2013) Natural mortality: its ecology, how it shapes fish life histories, and why it may be increased by fishing. Journal of Sea Research 75, 818.Google Scholar
Keesing, J.K. (2017) Population size structure, growth, arm number and damage in the sea star Archaster angulatus Müller & Troschel, 1842 (Echinodermata: Asteroidea). Invertebrate Reproduction and Development 61, 119127. doi: 10.1080/07924259.2017.1287782.Google Scholar
Keesing, J.K., Graham, F., Irvine, T.R. and Crossing, R. (2011) Synchronous aggregated pseudo-copulation of the sea star Archaster angulatus Müller & Troschel, 1842 (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) and its reproductive cycle in south-western Australia. Marine Biology 158, 11631173.Google Scholar
Keesing, J.K. and Halford, A.R. (1992) Field measurement of survival rates of juvenile Acanthaster planci (L.): techniques and preliminary results. Marine Ecology Progress Series 85, 107114.Google Scholar
Keesing, J.K., Weidermeyer, W.L., Okaji, K., Halford, A.R., Hall, K.C. and Cartwright, C.M. (1997) Mortality rates of juvenile starfish Acanthaster planci and Nardoa spp. measured on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia and in Okinawa, Japan. Oceanologica Acta 19, 441448.Google Scholar
King, M. (1995) Fisheries biology, assessment and management. Oxford: Fishing News Books, 341 pp.Google Scholar
Komatsu, M. (1983) Development of the sea-star, Archaster typicus, with a note on male-on-female superposition. Annotationes Zoologicae Japonenses 56, 187195.Google Scholar
Lawrence, J.M. (1992) Arm loss and regeneration in Asteroidea (Echinodermata). In Scalera-Liaci, L. and Canicatti, C. (eds) Echinoderm Research 1991: Proceedings of the Third European Conference on Echinoderms. Rotterdam: A.A. Balkema, pp. 3952.Google Scholar
Lawrence, J.M. (2013) Starfish: biology and ecology of the Asteroidea. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 267 pp.Google Scholar
Lawrence, J.M., Keesing, J.K. and Irvine, T.R. (2010) Population characteristics and biology of two populations of Archaster angulatus (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in different habitats off the central-western Australian coast. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 91, 15771585.Google Scholar
Lucas, J.S. (1984) Growth, maturation and effects of diet in Acanthaster planci (L.) (Asteroidea) and hybrids reared in the laboratory. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 79, 129147.Google Scholar
Meretta, P.E., Farias, N.E., Cledón, M. and Ventura, C.R. (2016) Growth pattern and changes in abundance of the endangered bat star Asterina stellifera. Marine Ecology 37, 14231433.Google Scholar
Mukai, H., Nishihara, M., Kamisato, H. and Fujimoto, Y. (1986) Distribution and abundance of the sea-star Archaster typicus in Kabira Cove, Ishigaki Island, Okinawa. Bulletin of Marine Science 38, 366383.Google Scholar
Nojima, S. (1979) Ecological studies of a sea star, Astropecten latespinosus Meissner. I. Survivorship curve and life history. Publication of the Amakusa Marine Biological Laboratory, Kyushu University 5, 4565.Google Scholar
Ohshima, H. and Ikeda, H. (1934a) Sexual size-dimorphism in the sea star Archaster typicus. Müll. et Trosch. Proceedings of the Imperial Academy of Japan 10, 180183.Google Scholar
Ohshima, H. and Ikeda, H. (1934b) Male-female superposition of the sea-star Archaster typicus Müll. et Trosch. Proceedings of the Imperial Academy of Japan 10, 125128.Google Scholar
Pauly, D. (1980) On the interrelationships between natural mortality, growth parameters, and mean environmental temperature in 175 fish stocks. ICES Journal of Marine Science 39, 175192. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/39.2.175.Google Scholar
Regalado, J.M., Campos, W.L. and Santillan, P. (2011) Population biology of Tripneustes gratilla (Linnaeus) (Echinodermata) in seagrass beds of Southern Guimaras, Philippines. Science Diliman 22, 4149.Google Scholar
Rose, T.H., Smale, D.A. and Botting, G. (2012) The 2011 marine heat wave in Cockburn Sound, southwest Australia. Ocean Science 8, 545550.Google Scholar
Run, J-Q., Chen, C-P., Chang, K.-Y. and Chia, F-S. (1988) Mating behaviour and reproductive cycle of Archaster typicus (Echinodermata: Asteroidea). Marine Biology 99, 247253.Google Scholar
Russell, M.P., Ebert, T.A. and Petraitis, P.S. (1998) Field estimates of growth and mortality of the green sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. Ophelia 48, 137153.Google Scholar
Sloan, N.A. and Aldridge, T.H. (1981) Observations on an aggregation of the starfish Asterias rubens L. in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, England. Journal of Natural History 15, 407418.Google Scholar
Yamaguchi, M. (1974) Growth of juvenile Acanthaster planci (L.) in the laboratory. Pacific Science 28, 123138.Google Scholar
Yamaguchi, M. (1975) Estimating growth parameters from growth rate data. Oecologia 20, 321332.Google Scholar
Yamaguchi, M. (1976) Estimating the length of the exponential growth phase: growth increment observations on the coral-reef asteroid Culcita novaeguineae. Marine Biology 39, 5759.Google Scholar
Yamaguchi, M. (1977) Population structure, spawning, and growth of the coral reef asteroid Linckia laevigata (Linnaeus). Pacific Science 31, 1330.Google Scholar
Yeo, S., Keesing, J.K. and van Keulen, M. (2015) Reproductive biology of the sand dollar, Peronella lesueuri (L. Agassiz, 1841) (Echinoidea: Clypeasteroida: Laganidae), in south-western Australia. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development 59, 141154.Google Scholar
Zann, L., Brodie, J. and Vuki, V. (1990) History and dynamics of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci (L.) in the Suva area, Fiji. Coral Reefs 9, 135144.Google Scholar