Genomic analyses support locally derived crown-of-thorns seastar outbreaks in the Pacific.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Crown-of-thorns seastars (COTS, Acanthaster spp.) are the most notorious coral predators, whose devastating outbreaks cause recurrent and extensive coral depletion across Indo-Pacific reefs. However, the spread potential of COTS outbreaks and the anthropogenic role in their initiation have remained a subject of intense debate for over five decades.

Results

Here, using low-coverage whole-genome sequences of 247 COTS, we show that Pacific COTS populations are highly structured, indicating that outbreaks do not spread through open ocean, but instead are locally derived. Pacific COTS populations are grouped in three main lineages geographically restricted to Hawai'i, French Polynesia, and the West Pacific, with the latter showing further significant genetic substructu

SUBMITTER: Leiva C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12330192 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature