Tracking origins and spread of Crown-of-Thorns Seastars on the Great Barrier Reef

该提案旨在揭示刺冠海星（CoTS）爆发的源礁以及通过大堡礁传播的主要途径。吃珊瑚的CoTS对大堡礁构成了重大威胁。利用种群基因组学、入侵物种遗传学和流行病学，并利用自20世纪80年代以来大量收集的成虫和幼虫，该项目将检验有关CoTS爆发起源和随后通过幼虫传播的空间传播的重要假设。该项目希望澄清远距离扩散途径的地点和时间，并测试在珊瑚礁附近检测幼虫是否可以为这些珊瑚礁的局部爆发提供早期预警。

This proposal aims to uncover the source reefs for Crown-of-Thorns Seastars (CoTS) outbreaks and the main routes of spread through the Great Barrier Reef. Coral eating CoTS pose a significant threat to the Great Barrier Reef. Using population genomics, invasive species genetics, and epidemiology and drawing upon extensive collections of adults and larvae dating from the 1980’s onwards, this project will test prominent hypotheses about outbreak origins and subsequent spatial spread of CoTS via larval dispersal. The project expects to clarify the locations and timing of long distance dispersal pathways and to test whether larval detection near reefs can provide an early warning for local outbreaks on these same reefs.