SYDNEY, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Scientists deploy synthetic versions of crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS) chemicals to attract and concentrate the coral-eating species for efficient removal on the Great Barrier Reef, new research has revealed.
The breakthrough came when researchers discovered that CoTS use peptides in their spines as pheromones to communicate and swarm, enabling targeted control strategies, according to a recent news release from the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science which conducted the study.
"Using synthetic attractants to draw starfish to a single location could support the simultaneous removal of many in one efficient sweep," said UniSC Professor Scott Cummins, one of the study's authors.
In controlled experiments, the synthetic attractants safely and reliably drew starfish together, indicating these peptides could enable more efficient and cost-effective large-scale removals, according to the findings published in the journal iScience.
This peptide-based method offers a targeted, environmentally safe alternative and, though tested only in labs so far, showed strong potential for managing crown-of-thorns outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef, researchers said. ■
