Star Trackers is a team monitoring the fabulous big red Knobbly sea stars (Protoreaster nodosus) on our shores. During their recent trip, they have confirmed Cyrene Reefs as an important nursery for these magnificent stars!
In Chim C K's latest trip report, 186 individual sea stars were identified, of which, 45% of them are young sea stars.
In addition, he shares that these results reaffirm the observation that Cyrene Reef is an extremely important habitat for the locally endangered seastar. The high proportion of juveniles is also exceptional.
There are at least seven populations in Singapore but none of them appears to be as sustainable as the one at Cyrene Reef.
The seagrass bed seems to be especially important to the juveniles. This microhabitat probably serve as recruitment, feeding and refuge grounds for the seastars. The charming seastar and the ecologically important seagrass beds deserve more attention in research.
Read more about the project
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