5,238 Pacific crown-of-thorns starfish were sampled across 80 reefs in Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park from 2012 to 2020. The dataset, managed by the Australian Ocean Data Network, examines variation in sub-lethal injury prevalence and severity among juvenile and adult starfish, as well as recruitment, growth, and survivorship. Data collection involved careful extraction and processing of starfish, with injury assessment based on arm damage and regeneration.
Use Cases
- Modeling population irruption dynamics based on injury prevalence and severity data.
- Comparing starfish demography and recruitment across different marine management zones.
- Analyzing the relationship between sub-lethal injuries and individual survivorship or growth rates.
Strengths
- Substantial sample size of 5,238 starfish collected.
- Spatial coverage includes 80 reefs across the Great Barrier Reef.
- Detailed methodological protocol for injury assessment is described.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Freshness should be verified as the last update is listed as 2026-07-10.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Starfish were sampled from reefs, measured, and examined for injuries. Data builds on a previous sample analyzed in Messmer et al. 2017.
- Time Range
- 2012 - 2020
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-07-10 14:36:53.465867
- Geography
- Central section of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, specifically 80 reefs within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.