@article{fdi:010072365,
  title = {{E}phemeral and localized outbreaks of the coral predator {A}canthaster cf. solaris in the southwestern lagoon of {N}ew {C}aledonia},
  author = {{A}djeroud, {M}ehdi and {K}ayal, {M}. and {P}eignon, {C}hristophe and {J}uncker, {M}. and {M}ills, {S}. {C}. and {B}eldade, {R}. and {D}umas, {P}ascal},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{O}utbreaks of the coral predator {A}canthaster spp., the crown-of-thorns seastar ({COTS}), cause major coral declines across the {I}ndo-{P}acific. {H}owever, the processes surrounding the initiation and propagation of {COTS} outbreaks are still unclear. {W}e observed {COTS} outbreak abundances on several mid-shelf and inner-barrier reefs in the southern section of the {N}ew {C}aledonian lagoon, a multi-location initiation event that we expected to precede a broader region-wide disturbance. {H}owever, reef monitoring over 3 years revealed the highly localized and ephemeral character of these outbreaks. {O}utbreaks that were observed at four reef locations at the beginning of the survey simply faded away, without any specific management actions such as culling efforts. {W}e also found no distinct reef biotope on which {COTS} outbreaks originated, although mid-shelf and inner-shelf barrier reefs seem to be favoured. {N}ew {C}aledonia has been exempted from to widespread regional {COTS} outbreaks, which is surprising given its proximity to the {A}ustralian {G}reat {B}arrier {R}eef - a reef complex particularly vulnerable to {COTS} - and {V}anuatu - where large-scale outbreaks were recorded during the same period. {T}he availability of coral prey is probably not a limiting factor for the propagation of {COTS} outbreaks on {N}ew {C}aledonian reefs, given the high abundance and diversity of coral assemblages. {O}ur findings reveal that localized and ephemeral {COTS} outbreaks can be naturally contained and do not necessarily result in widespread disturbances.},
  keywords = {{C}oral reefs ; {A}canthaster ; {P}redator outbreaks ; {M}onitoring ; {S}patio-temporal variation ; {N}ew {C}aledonia ; {NOUVELLE} {CALEDONIE} ; {PACIFIQUE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{Z}oological {S}tudies},
  volume = {57},
  numero = {},
  pages = {4},
  ISSN = {1021-5506},
  year = {2018},
  DOI = {10.6620/zs.2018.57-04},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010072365},
}