Natasha Hardy

TL;DR: It is concluded that warmer sea temperature is an important co-factor promoting COTS outbreaks and the main contribution of temperature is to ‘push' well-fed larvae faster to settlement.

TL;DR: Short- or long-term temperature increases may not be a major modulator of the crown-of-thorns recruitment success, population dynamics and distribution in the future as no significant change in development rates, larval survival and growth occurred within this thermal window.

TL;DR: Development to advanced larva was negatively affected by the high temperature treatment (30 °C) and by both experimental pH levels (pH 7.6, 7.8) and increased temperature and reduced pH had an additive negative effect on reducing larval size.

TL;DR: The stunting effect of decreased pH on larval growth is typical of echinoplutei, indicating that similar mechanisms operate across species, and indicates that H. tuberculata may tolerate near-future ocean change and this may be facilitated by acclimatization or adaption.

TL;DR: In insights into the factors influencing the realized and potential distribution of planktonic life stages and changes to adult distribution in response to global change, two echinoids from eastern Australia developed successfully at temperatures well below ambient, suggesting that cooler water is not a barrier to poleward migration for either species.