MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Population Dynamics of Acanthaster planci, ongoing since 2005

These data describe the abundance of Acanthaster planci, Crown of Thorns Sea stars,
surveyed as part of MCR LTER's annual reef fish monitoring program. This study
began in 2005 and the dataset is updated annually. The abundances of A. planci observed on a five by
fifty meter transect are recorded by a diver using SCUBA.
Surveys are conducted between 0900 and 1600 hours (Moorea time) during late
July or early August each year. Four replicate transects are
surveyed in each of three habitats (forereef, backreef and fringing reef) at six locations, two on each of Moorea's three sides, on the forereef, six locations on the backreef (two on each of Moorea's three
sides for a total of 72 individual transects. Transects are permanently marked
using a series of small, stainless steel posts affixed to the reef. Transects on the
forereef are located at a depth of approximately 12m, those on the backreef are
located at a depth of approximately 1.5m and those on the fringing reef are located
at a depth of approximately 10m.
This monitoring program is consistent with the protocols adopted by the Global Coral
Reef Monitoring Network and the Australian Institute of Marine Science for use with
the Great Barrier Reef Long-term Monitoring Program. These data from years 2005-2010 were published in:
Adam, T.C., R.J. Schmitt, S.J. Holbrook, A.J. Brooks, P.J. Edmunds, R.C. Carpenter and G. Bernardi.
2011. Herbivory, connectivity and ecosystem resilience: response of a coral reef to a large-scale
perturbation. PLoS One 6(8): e23717 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023717