Robots on the reef: are automated vehicles the key to tackling invasive species on coral reefs? - Vol 5 Sneak Peek
Could technology be the key to controlling invasive species and protecting coral reef ecosystems?
Article by: Sophie Coxon
Artwork by: Xavi Reñé
The Great Barrier Reef is globally known as one of the seven wonders of the world – and for good reason. A sweeping expanse of colours, rich with biodiversity and shimmering in sunlight, this huge reef ecosystem is a treasure-trove of beauty. But amongst the glittering shoals of fish and kaleidoscopic corals, the wrath of invasive species is interfering with the natural balance of this delicate ecosystem. Can technology be the key method in controlling these outbreaks and protecting coral reef ecosystems in the future?
In the crystalline shallows of the Great Barrier Reef, amongst the waving fronds of sea fans and flickering shoals of fish, it seems like an aquatic paradise to any passer-by. However, this bejewelled seascape of corals and all its related inhabitants is threatened by the takeover of a royally intrusive tenant: the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci).
Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) are native to the Great Barrier Reef and the Indo-Pacific, occurring on many reefs across the globe. As natural corallivores (organisms that feed exclusively on coral), COTS feed on coral as adults and can grow to sizes of up to 80cm in diameter, with 21 arms and hundreds of thorns. Each thorn is loaded with toxins which prevent predation by most other organisms on the reef. The species tends to hide within shady cracks and crevices in the reef, devouring vast quantities of coral as they move across the reef.
Despite being a native species to the Great Barrier Reef, recent outbreaks have contributed to an infamous reputation. Populations can reach plague-like numbers, leaving death and destruction across whole areas of the coral reef. Large fluctuations in COTS populations, especially over short periods, can have devastating impacts on live coral cover across reefs, altering the ecology and functionality of the entire reef ecosystem, and such events have been identified as one of the main causes of coral loss in many regions.
When live coral cover is significantly reduced within a small time frame, reefs can rapidly be converted to algae-dominated systems, losing much of their natural biodiversity. This has been seen extensively across the Caribbean region, with the outbreaks of coral diseases which have decimated Acropora corals across this region, with many areas reduced to beds of turf algae, few fish, and only the skeletons of the former coral reef remaining. This has huge impacts on local communities and ecology, as coral reefs provide a multitude of ecosystem services to the regions they occur in.
The drivers of these outbreaks have been debated by researchers for years, although the urgent need to control the population of COTS has not gone unseen. The latest removal method has turned to technology – specifically, to killer robots – to solve the problem. While this might sound like something from the pages of a far-fetched sci-fi novel, the application of these subaquatic robots has been highly effective – up to 99.4% effective, to be exact.
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