Crown-of-thorns starfish are renowned for eating coral and destroying coral reefs—but when juvenile crown-of-thorns first settle in reef environments they start out by eating rock-hard coralline algae. In a new study, Jennifer Wilmes and her colleagues compared the growth between juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish that switch diets early after settlement (within six months) versus those that continue to feed on coralline algae for up to a year.
Click here for original story, Crown-of-thorns enhance their growth by switching diets early
Source: Phys.org