This scientific article is about a study conducted off the island of Moorea, where there were outbreaks of a "Crown-of-Thorns" starfish, also called by its scientific name, Ancanthaster. This specific study tracked where the starfish where distributed around the island and how they effected the coral reef communities.
This study used two specific methods for collecting the data. One method was a survey taken periodically at three different sites. These sites were small and varied throughout the shores of the island. The second approach to collecting data was on a larger scale. The data was collected from all the coral reefs around the entire island of Moorea. To survey the reefs a SCUBA diver was towed around by a boat slowly around Moorea.
In the study, there was evidence of high densities of Ancasnthasters and proof their numbers were growing. There was also evidence that they were spreading all over the shores and reefs around Moorea. The impacts the seastars had on the communities were distructive. Coral had a high mass mortality which resulted in a decline in reef life in general.There was an increase in turf algea in the coral reefs. Overall, Anacanythasters were growing in number in the reefs off of Moorea and they were destroying the coral and ruining the reef communities.
Evaluation:
The purpose of the article was to inform the reader of the study that was performed. The report's intention was to explain that the experiment was about the effects of seastars on coral reef communities specifically off the coast of Moorea. The report also described how the experiment was conducted and what the results were.
This report was for a high-tech audience. There were no definitions of words, so it was assumed the reader new what everything meant. Scientific names of animals were used instead of their common names. It was not written on a fourth grade reading level so everyone could understand it. The sentence structure was complex as well. A low-tech audience might be able to follow the report but might still struggle.
The organization of the document was easy to follow. There were headings for the introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. There were also subheadings breaking down the larger sections. The graphics were also labeled and had easy to read captions.
The article was accurate in describing the study. This article was also ethical. However, it was not conise or easy to read. Some sections were difficult to understand, and there was a lot of extra details that were not necessary to the report.
Work Cited
Kayal, M., Vercelloni, J., de Loma, T., Bosserelle, P., Chancerelle, Y., Geoffroy, S., & ... Adjeroud, M. (n.d). Predator Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci) Outbreak, Mass Mortality of Corals, and Cascading Effects on Reef Fish and Benthic Communities. Plos One, 7(10),
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