Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Valvatida
Family: Acanthasteridae
Genus: Acanthaster
Species: planci
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Valvatida
Family: Acanthasteridae
Genus: Acanthaster
Species: planci
Morphology and Structure
Morphology:
Symmetry: Starfish have penta-radial symmetry, with their arms emerging from a center point. Other Echonoderms may not appear to have penta-radial symmetry, such as the sea cucumbers, but they have it internally.
Structure:
They have a water vascular system and tube feet with suckers on the bottom for movement. They have arms radiating from a central disk in sets of five.
Symmetry: Starfish have penta-radial symmetry, with their arms emerging from a center point. Other Echonoderms may not appear to have penta-radial symmetry, such as the sea cucumbers, but they have it internally.
Structure:
They have a water vascular system and tube feet with suckers on the bottom for movement. They have arms radiating from a central disk in sets of five.
Adaptations
:
The Crown of Thorns can use a wax-digesting enzyme that helps it to eat live coral.
It can also exteriorsize its stomach to help it eat the coral.
Distribution:
The Crown of Thorns can use a wax-digesting enzyme that helps it to eat live coral.
It can also exteriorsize its stomach to help it eat the coral.
Distribution:
Impact:
Ecological-The Crown of Thorns has a negative impact on the ecosystem due to an outbreak caused by overfishing of its predator, the Giant Trition Snail. With the outbreak they are destroying the coral reef.
Economic-
Facts:
It is a voracious eater of live coral.
Its purple spines are venomous.
It has been known to have population "blooms" where the population can increase ten fold.
It is thought to be somewhat nocturnal.
It has a larvae form, where it drifts around for typically two weeks.
Vocabulary
Central Disk-center of the body where all of the arms grow from.
Penramerous-a symmetry based on sets of five.
Endoskeleton-an internal skeleton.
Tube Feet-any of the external muscular extension of the water vascular system.
Ampullae-each of the muscular sacs that extend inside the body opposite the tube feet.
Resources:
http://www.ehow.com/info_8627174_adaptations-crown-thorns-starfish.html
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0047363
http://marineecologyfiji.com/useful-info/crown-of-thorns-starfish-cots/
Ecological-The Crown of Thorns has a negative impact on the ecosystem due to an outbreak caused by overfishing of its predator, the Giant Trition Snail. With the outbreak they are destroying the coral reef.
Economic-
Facts:
It is a voracious eater of live coral.
Its purple spines are venomous.
It has been known to have population "blooms" where the population can increase ten fold.
It is thought to be somewhat nocturnal.
It has a larvae form, where it drifts around for typically two weeks.
Vocabulary
Central Disk-center of the body where all of the arms grow from.
Penramerous-a symmetry based on sets of five.
Endoskeleton-an internal skeleton.
Tube Feet-any of the external muscular extension of the water vascular system.
Ampullae-each of the muscular sacs that extend inside the body opposite the tube feet.
Resources:
http://www.ehow.com/info_8627174_adaptations-crown-thorns-starfish.html
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0047363
http://marineecologyfiji.com/useful-info/crown-of-thorns-starfish-cots/