What causes crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks?
While there have been many theories on the causes of outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish, there are three theories that are supported by scientists. These theories have neither been proved nor disproved. The theories are: • Fluctuations in the crown-of-thorns starfish population are a natural phenomenon. • Removal of natural predators of the crown-of-thorns starfish has allowed populations to expand. • Human use of the coastal zone has increased the nutrients flowing to the sea and resulted in an increase in planktonic food for larvae of the crown-of-thorns starfish. The improved survival of larvae has led to an increase in the number of adult starfish which results in outbreaks.
