REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ON CLASS

ASTEROIDEA (SEA STARS)

Submitted to:
Mrs. Astrid Si!o
Submitted "#:
Coie R#$ V. Ed%$&i$
"io ' EDA
Re(ie) o* Re&$ted Liter$ture
Forei+ Setti+
The sea-star was first found in Tasmania in 1986, but at the time was mis-identified
as a native species. It was not until 1992 that the sea-star was identified as A. amurensis,
a species which is not native to Australian waters.
The sea-star is a lare voracious predator, reachin si!es "# to $# cm in diameter.
In its native rane, the sea-star prefers water temperatures between % and 1#o &, but has
adapted to warmer waters 'up to 22o &( in Australia and other countries.)In one *ear the
sea-star is capable of increasin its diameter b* 8cm. It is capable of reproducin at 1#
cm. In Australia spawnin occurs durin winter '+ul* to ,ctober( at temperatures of 1# to
12o & when females ma* carr* up to 2# million es per adult. -ertilisation is e.ternal and
fertilised es develop into free swimmin larvae that remain in the plan/ton for around 9#
da*s, before settlin and metamorphosin into 0uvenile seastars. The live-bearin sea star
is restricted to the south eastern coast of Tasmania. 1nli/e other species whose larval
*oun ma* be dispersed reat distances b* ocean currents, live-bearin sea stars are
restricted to their parental locations. The* live in roc/* crevices and are often attached to
the underside of roc/s where the* feed on microscopic alae. The* prefer calmer,
sheltered waterwa*s because the* are slow movin and can be easil* disloded from roc/
surfaces '+ournal 2ea 2tars3 4ndemic to Tasmania(
)The sea star lives for up to five *ears and in +apan its numbers increase and reach
outbrea/ proportions lastin two to three *ears. These outbrea/s tend to occur in three or
ten *ear c*cles and there have been some suestions that the outbrea/s are a s*mptom
of a deraded environment. 5o one is certain wh* outbrea/s of starfish appear to have
increased in recent *ears. ,ne theor* suests that their populations bloom several *ears
after a lare t*phoon with hih rainfall, which produces abundant sediments. These
sediments are thouht to contain nutrients that contribute to plan/ton blooms, which serve
as food for *oun starfish. ,ther theories point to the destruction of their ma0or predators
and the effects of pollution.
6esides starfish, man* other forces pla* a ma0or role in the destruction of the reefs.
These include overfishin, pollution, t*phoons and lobal warmin. In 7awaii, where most
of the coral reefs in the 1nited 2tates are found, coral is bein decimated b* tourists,
particularl* snor/elers 'American &hemical 2ociet*, 2###(.
Althouh sea stars destruct reefs the* are often important in communit* structurin
processes '8AI54 1969a, b, 19%6, 9A:T,5 19%1, 8AI54 et al. 198$, ;A:<4= et al.
2##"(, mainl* in intertidal reions in temperate latitudes '<45;4 et al. 199",
5A>A==4T4 ? <45;4 1996(. <ost effects are observed in the lowest !ones 'subtidal(
on roc/* substrates, where the starfish are protected from desiccation or other abiotic
influences that echinoderms, in eneral, do not tolerate well '2TI&@A4 ? 9I47A 198%(.
2tarfish can be voracious predators that devastate some communities, such as
Acanthaster planci 'Ainnaeus, 1%$8( on coral reefs '&A<4=,5 et al. 1991( and Asterias
sp. on mussels ';A:<4= et al. 2##2(. 5ot all asteroids, however, are so voracious and
some ma* maintain heteroeneit* and bioloical diversit* of their communities '>4=AI5;
et al. 2##B(. All starfish survived all water salinit* treatments in the summer and the
hihest salinit* in the winter. In the winter, however, onl* $%C of the starfish survived the
reduced salinit* '1# /
-1
( and onl* B6C rihted themselves within B# minutes.

2ea 2tars3 5utrition
The starfish usuall* hunts for shelled animals li/e o*sters and clams. =ecentl*,
there are now 2,### species of sea star livin in all the worldDs oceans, from tropical
habitats to the cold seafloor. The primaril* carnivorous feedin habits of seastars have
lon been reconi!ed '6oolootian 1966, <au!e* et al. 1968( and durin the past 2# to B#
*r sea star predation has been shown to be a ma0or factor in structurin man* marine
benthic communities '<ene 1982, 9uins 198B(. The most detailed studies are those
made in the intertidal !one. -or e.ample, 8aine '19%"( demonstrated that the sea star
Pisaster ochraceus is the /e* predator in roc/* intertidal communities on the 8acific coast
of 5orth America. Its removal shifts the abundance of oranisms in lower trophic levels,
particularl* of species which monopoli!e space, and mar/edl* chanes communit*
structure. ,ne would e.pect predation b* sea stars to be particularl* important n the
subtidal !one, where their activities are less limited b* ph*sioloical stress. 7owever, with
the e.ception of the studies of seastar Acanthaster planci on coral reefs ';l*nn 19%6,
6Er/eland 1982(, relativel* few studies have Fuantified the impact of asteroid O Inter-
=esearchG8rinted in ;erman* predation in the subtidal !one. A ma0or problem in predictin
the impact of seastars is the lac/ of understandin of the d*namics of seastar populations
and in particular of factors determinin recruitment intensit* and 0uvenile survival.
2ince sea stars have been the top most predator, the hard clam Mercenaria
mercenaria burrows deeper into the sediment when the predaceous sea star, Asterias
forbesi is present. The supposition that this increase in burial depth represents an escape
response desined to reduce predation was tested e.perimentall* b* reulatin clam
burial depth throuh manipulation of the amount of sediment available for burial.
Mercenaria maintained at !ero depth were eaten b* Asterias at reater rates than those
held at ordinar* burial depths '2.$HB.# cm(. These clams in turn were eaten at reater
rates than those maintained at escape depths '".#H".$ cm(. The results unambiuousl*
establish an anti-predator function for the burrowin response, as well as underscorin the
protective function of the fossorial habit. The* are not confounded b* behavioral predator
food preferences, inherent differences between pre* species, or debilitatin side effects of
preventin pre* from escapin. <echanisms b* which the burrowin response ma* reduce
predation are discussed and observations on the unreported clam-diin behavior of
Asterias forbesi are presented '9oerin3 $3 2#1#(
IJe performed field and laborator* studies to investiate how lare adult
Leptasterias polaris detect and locate their ma0or pre*, lare infaunal bivalves, in the
sediment bottom communit*. A field surve* usin 2&16A divin showed that 9$C of the
locations where L. polaris du into the sediment bottom were over bivalves and this
success rate was much reater than if diin was done at random '22C(. -urthermore,
when sea stars were provided with a low densit* of randoml* distributed pre* in a
laborator* arena, the* du e.clusivel* in locations where a clam had been buried. These
observations indicated that L. polaris locates infaunal pre* prior to investin ener* into
diin. 2tudies in a laborator* flow tan/ showed that L. polaris readil* detected and
moved towards its preferred pre* Ensis directus whereas its responses to less preferred
pre* Mya truncata and Spisula polynyma were much wea/er. The deree to which it
oriented towards these three common pre* seemed to reflect potential ener* inta/e
relative to forain costs 'which li/el* increase with the depth of the different pre*( and
ris/s from interactions with other carnivores 'which are reatest when feedin on lare
pre*(. This is the first stud* to clearl* demonstrate that sea stars use pre* odours to locate
infaunal pre* 'Thompson et. al.(. -urthermore, some sea stars live on the reef, and the sea
star is actuall* a predator of coral pol*ps, which means that too man* sea stars can
damae the reef and leave behind onl* calcium carbonate. This brea/down in the food
chain, affects the population of deep-sea fish in the area, and will reduce the amount of
lare fish and ame.
,ther -eatures of 2ea 2tars
2ea stars as part of the 8h*lum 4chinodermata, captures around #.1 iatonnes of
carbon per *ear1. This is less than the lobal capture resultin from pelaic oranisms K
a fiure that ranes from #." to 1.8 iatonnes dependin on the sources considered K
but still represents a si!eable carbon pump. 6* comparison, human activities lead to
around $.$ iatonnes of carbon bein pumped into the air ever* *ear ' Aebrato, 2#1#(
)4chinoderms are found in all ecos*stems at all depths worldwide and have bodies that
can be composed of more than 8#C calcium carbonate. A new stud* published in 5ature
credits these abundant invertebrates with seFuesterin 1## million tons of carbon in their
tissues each *ear.
Also, the starfish is sensitive to reduced salinit* '1# /
1
(, especiall* durin winter.
4chinoderms are t*picall* osmoconformers and stenohaline, and ver* permeable to water
and ions 'review in 2TI&@A4 ? 9I47A 198%( and so it is e.pected that the* not be active
predators when e.posed durin low tide. Indeed, no starfish was ever seen consumin
pre* while e.posed durin low tide. 7owever, ph*sioloical limitation does not completel*
e.plain the apparent lac/ of predator* influence on the communit*, since predation could
certainl* increase durin hih tides.
A new stud* finds that a species of sea star sta*s cool usin a strate* never before
seen in the animal /indom. The sea stars soa/ up cold sea water into their bodies durin
hih tide as buffer aainst potentiall* damain temperatures brouht about b* direct
sunliht at low tide.
Accordin to 8incebourde of -ranLois =abelais 1niversit* in Tours, -rance, sea
stars were assumed to be at the merc* of the sun durin low tide )This wor/ shows that
some sea stars have an une.pected bac/-up strate*.) 2ea stars need to endure rapid
chanes in temperature. 9urin hih tide, the* are full* submered in cool sea water. 6ut
when tides receded, the stars are often left on roc/* shorelines, ba/in in the sun.
&learl* the stars had some wa* of beatin the heat, but scientists were unsure how
the* did it. 8incebourde and his team thouht it miht have somethin to do with fluid-filled
cavities found in the arms of sea stars. 2o he set up an e.periment to test it. The
researchers placed sea stars in aFuariums and varied the water level to simulate tidal
patterns. 7eat lamps were used to control temperature, with some stars e.periencin
hotter temperatures than others. The researchers found that stars e.posed to hiher
temperatures at low tide had hiher bod* mass after the hih tide that followed. 2ince the
stars were not allowed to eat, the increased mass must be from soa/in up water. )This
reservoir of cool water /eeps the sea star from overheatin when the tide recedes aain
the ne.t da*, a process called Mthermal inertia,M) 8incebourde said. Jhat appears to be
happenin, the researchers sa*, is that a hot low tide serves as a cue tellin the star to
soa/ up more water durin the ne.t hih tide. And the amount of water the stars can hold
is remar/able. )It would be as if humans were able to loo/ at a weather forecast, decide it
was oin to be hot tomorrow, and then in preparation suc/ up 1$ or more pounds of water
into our bodies,) said co-author 6rian 7elmuth of the 1niversit* of 2outh &arolina in
&olumbia '1niversit* of &hicao 8ress +ournals3 2ea 2tars bul/ up to beat the heat(
5ot onl* that, accordin to the stud* conducted b* 2cottish Association for
<arine 2cience '2A<2(, a non-stic/ slime made b* starfish ma* lead to new treatments
for asthma, athritis, ha* fever and other inflammator* conditions, sa* marine bioloists in
2cotland. The scientists, from the '2A<2( in ,ban, Ar*ll, have been stud*in the slime
produced b* the spin* starfish, Marthasterias glacialis, commonl* found in the waters
around 2cotland and other parts of the 6ritish Isles, and sa* it could be vital for treatin
human infections. Aead researcher 9r &harlie 6avinton, founder and manain director
of ;l*comar, a marine biotechnolo* compan* based at 2A<2, has been tal/in to the
media about their wor/. In an interview with the 66& aired on Thursda* 9 9ecember, he
demonstrated how the starfish produced the slime3 he too/ a starfish with a span of about
B# cm or 12 in out of a tan/, held it, after a few seconds the slime bean visibl* to oo!e
from the creatureDs spin* bod*. The slime is a defence mechanism and also prevents
debris from stic/in to the starfish.
-urthermore, researchers have discovered a chemical in sea urchins that miht be
used to lure starfish awa* from coral reefs, an endanered ecos*stem the* are devourin
at an alarmin rate. The findin was presented here toda* durin the 2### International
&hemical &onress of 8acific 6asin 2ocieties. Accordin to the American &hemical
2ociet*, The poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish, which feasts on coral and whose
population is believed to be e.pandin, is a ma0or source of destruction of valued habitats
in the tropical !ones of the Indian and 8acific oceans, includin 7awaii. The problem is
acute in +apan, where e.tensive, costl* efforts to control the creature have met with little
success.
Philippine Setting
In 198" +anssen, ,rosco, Aaro, A*son and 1*, students of 1niversit* of 2an
&arlos conducated a stud* in the uniFue matin behaviour of Archaster t*picus '<uller et
Troschel, 18"#( the* were able to find that there is no macroscopic feature that allows a
definite determination of se.. <ale Archaster t*picus are able to reconi!e the se. of
another individual b* crawlin over the center of another species on its center within a few
seconds. The se. indicator is located at the center of the female.
,n 9iversit*
It was reported b* &hoi that the &lass Asteroidea was found in sand* substrate in
the upper !one that was 2#- "# meters from above.
2imilar stud* b* 'Antinero, 2##1( conducted in the intertidal !one of 8an*awan,
;itaum, <isamis ,riental. 2ea stars were located on roc/* coralline substrate.
Another similar stud* was conducted in the intertidal !one of Tacaton, &armen,
Ausan del 5orte. Archaster typicus was the most abundant that had "2 individuals
recorded '9avid, 1999(.
'8aculba, 199$( conducted a stud* on the species diversit* of sea stars in 6olo
bolo, 4l 2alvador, <isamis ,riental. Archaster t*picus, Archaster anulatus, ,reaster
nodosus and Ain/ia laeviata were the species found in the area. In the computations on
2hannonDs Inde. of eneral diversit*, the diversit* was #.$28, which indicated that the area
was diversified with respect to the presence of sea stars. Archaster t*picus was the most
abundant, followed b* Archaster anulatus 'BBC#, then b* ,reaster nodosus '12C( and
finall* b* Ain/ia laeviata which comprised onl* 11C of the collected species.
Re*ere!es
Iteret Sour!es
I2tud*3 2ea stars bul/ up to beat the heatN, +anuar* B, 2#113 b* @evin 2tace*
http3GGwww.eure/alert.orGpubOreleasesG2##9-11Guocp-sss111%#9.php
I&arbon-2lurpin 2ea 2tarsN, +anuar* 2, 2#113 b* 2ea 5otes, <ontere* 6a* AFuarium
http3GGmontere*ba*aFuarium.t*pepad.comGseaOnotesG2#1#G#1Gcarbonslurpin-sea-
stars.html

I2ea 2tars endemic to TasmaniaN, +anuar* B, 2#113 b* <arine and &oastal =esearch
Tasmania
http3GGwww.par/s.tas.ov.auGfile.asp.PidQ691%
I2tarfish 2lime &ould 7old @e* To 5ew Treatment -or Asthma, ArthritisN, +anuar* B,
2#113 b* Ape. ;lobal
http3GGwww.anetwor/solution.comG2#1#G12G11Gstarfish-slime-could-hold-/e*-to-new-
treatment-for-asthma-arthritisG
I=eduction of sea star predation b* the burrowin response of the hard clam
Mercenaria mercenaria '<ollusca3 6ivalvia(N, +anuar* B, 2#113 b* 8eter 7. 9oerin
http3GGwww.sprinerlin/.comGcontentGu%%822B#8"21B1"#G
I&hemical <a* 9eter 2tarfish -rom 9evourin 4ndanered &oral =eefsN, +anuar*
2, 2#113 b* 2cience 9ail*
http3GGwww.sciencedail*.comGreleasesG2###G12G##1218#%B1"6.htm
IImportance of &oral =eef 4cos*stemsN, +anuar* B, 2#113 b* @aren +ennins
http3GGwww.reenlivinanswers.comGarchivesG2#"
IThe role of Asterina 2tellifera '4chinodermata3 Asteroidea( as a predator in a roc/*
intertidal communit* in 2outhern 6ra!ilN, +anuar* B, 2#113 Rooloia' &uritiba Impresso(
http3GGwww.scielo.brGscielo.phpPscriptQsciOartte.t?pidQ2198"-"6%#2##9###2###1#
U%ub&is,ed Sour!es
Acenas, =on 9re*fus A., I2pecies 9uversit* on 4chinoderms in the Intertidal Rone of
6arana* <abini, 6inuanan, <isamis ,rientalN 6iolo* 9epartment =esearchS Tavier
1niversit*, &aa*an de ,ro &it*, 2##9.
:ra, &herr*l, I2pecies 9iversit* on 4chinoderms in the Intertidal Rone of 9omo,
>illanueva, <isamis ,rientalN 6iolo* 9epartment =esearchS Tavier 1niversit*, &aa*an
de ,ro &it*