What happens to a coral once it has been eaten by a crown-of-thorns starfish?
Once eaten, the white coral skeleton becomes covered by a light fuzz of green algae. Within two weeks this is replaced by various types of encrusting plants and animals which give the coral skeleton a dull, grey appearance. The dead corals also provide a surface upon which the planktonic forms of other organisms (eg. corals) may settle. Within a year the dead coral skeleton may be covered by a variety of organisms including hard and soft corals. Some types of dead coral (eg. staghorn corals) quickly become infested with various boring organisms. The activities of these animals may lead to the eventual collapse of the dead colony along with any newly attached organisms. This occurs particularly during periods of rough weather (eg. cyclones). Figure 5, Figure 6 & Figure 7 illustrate the dramatic changes which can occur in coral reef communities as a result of outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish.
