Ports host invasive sea star orgies

Monday, June 25, 2012 - 22:20 in Earth & Climate

The study shows that man-made structures such as wharfs are hotspots for invasive sea stars to breed.  Image: mkurtbas/iStockphoto Marine biologists have found that port environments are enabling invasive sea stars to breed in Australia at a rapid rate.In a new research article, researchers found that these environments can facilitate the invasion of a significant marine pest by driving overwhelming reproductive success.Dr Scott Ling, from the UTAS Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), is the lead author of the paper published in Journal of Applied Ecology."The sea star must release eggs in close proximity to sperm sources because chances of fertilisation decline drastically with increasing distance between spawning sea stars," he said."Beneath wharves a super abundant supply of food leads to a veritable orgy of highly aggregated and fecund sea stars that achieve great fertilisation success".Dr Ling said the research found that wharf populations, while representing less than 10 per cent...

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