Download or read book The Evolution of Reef Communities written by J. A. Fagerstrom and published by Wiley-Interscience. This book was released on 1987-11-13 with total page 636 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the composition, structure, occurrence, and changes in reefs during the past 2 billion years. This is the only fully integrated treatment of these factors and processes with the evolutionary history of the organisms that have built reefs. Emphasizes the functional roles of major groups (guilds) of reef-building, reef-destroying, and reef-dwelling organisms in the most complex of all marine communities. A structural model, based on modern reef guilds, is developed. Then the functional roles of each major reef-building higher biologic taxon (algae, sponges, coral, etc.) is determined, and, on this basis, each such taxon is assigned to a reef community guild. Next, the author traces the geologic history and guild assignment of each major taxon through geologic time. The final chapter establishes a succession of ten major reef community types, and considers their extinction and recovery in the light of modern theories of cosmic and earthly events. Profusely illustrated.
Download or read book Reef Evolution written by Rachel Wood and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If one does not understand the biology of the coral reef, one does not understand the reef at all. So, using more than 250 illustrations and specially drawn ecological reconstructions of reef communities, Rachel Wood provides a unique evolutionary approach to the understanding of ancient coral reef ecosystems. Marine organisms have aggregated to form reefs for over 3.5 billion years--creating the largest biologically constructed feature on earth, some visible from space. However, their study has been largely descriptive. Reef Evolution, documents the fundamental biological processes and innovations which have molded the evolution of reef ecosystems and given rise to the highly complex communities found today. The appearance of clonality, the acquisition of photosymbiosis, and the radiation of predator groups are all discussed in depth. Data from the fossil record documents the evolutionary development of reef ecosystems. Although reefs only occupy a small percentage of the oceans, their importance to the marine environment is many-faceted and global. They create harbors and allow the development of shallow basins with associated mangrove or seagrass communities; they protect coastlines from erosion; are involved in the regulation of atmospheric carbon, which in turn contributes to climate control. can provide extensive oil and gas reservoirs. From a biological standpoint, however, the great significance of reefs lies in their ability to generate and maintain a substantial proportion of tropical marine biodiversity. This unique interdisciplinary approach provides students and researchers in evolution, marine biology, ecology, paleontology, biodiversity, and geology with a text that will allow them to truly understand the biological innovations which have molded the evolution of coral reefs and given rise to the highly complex communities found today.
Download or read book The History and Sedimentology of Ancient Reef Systems written by George D. Stanley Jr. and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Preface: The chapters of this book contain contributions from an international group of specialists. They address some important themes in both modern and ancient reef systems. Some chapters contain `snapshots' of reefs of particular intervals, while others touch on relevant themes of both modern and ancient reefs - themes that weave their way through reefs of all ages. This book opens and sets the stage with an introduction to both modern and ancient reefs and reef ecosystems. This chapter is also intended as a basic introduction for students, general geologists, and professionals or others who may be unfamiliar with reefs and reef ecosystems. The chapter addresses the living coral reef ecosystem, stressing among other relevant factors, the importance of ecological and physical interactions between the organisms and their environment. The chapter also addresses mass extinction and provides a general overview of the history of reefs.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Modern Coral Reefs written by David Hopley and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-11-26 with total page 1226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coral reefs are the largest landforms built by plants and animals. Their study therefore incorporates a wide range of disciplines. This encyclopedia approaches coral reefs from an earth science perspective, concentrating especially on modern reefs. Currently coral reefs are under high stress, most prominently from climate change with changes to water temperature, sea level and ocean acidification particularly damaging. Modern reefs have evolved through the massive environmental changes of the Quaternary with long periods of exposure during glacially lowered sea level periods and short periods of interglacial growth. The entries in this encyclopedia condense the large amount of work carried out since Charles Darwin first attempted to understand reef evolution. Leading authorities from many countries have contributed to the entries covering areas of geology, geography and ecology, providing comprehensive access to the most up-to-date research on the structure, form and processes operating on Quaternary coral reefs.
Download or read book Quaternary Coral Reef Systems written by Lucien F. Montaggioni and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2009-08-13 with total page 550 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents both state-of-the art knowledge from Recent coral reefs (1.8 million to a few centuries old) gained since the eighties, and introduces geologists, oceanographers and environmentalists to sedimentological and paleoecological studies of an ecosystem encompassing some of the world's richest biodiversity. Scleractinian reefs first appeared about 300 million years ago. Today coral reef systems provide some of the most sensitive gauges of environmental change, expressing the complex interplay of chemical, physical, geological and biological factors. The topics covered will include the evolutionary history of reef systems and some of the main reef builders since the Cenozoic, the effects of biological and environmental forces on the zonation of reef systems and the distribution of reef organisms and on reef community dynamics through time, changes in the geometry, anatomy and stratigraphy of reef bodies and systems in relation to changes in sea level and tectonics, the distribution patterns of sedimentary (framework or detrital) facies in relation to those of biological communities, the modes and rates of reef accretion (progradation, aggradation versus backstepping; coral growth versus reef growth), the hydrodynamic forces controlling water circulation through reef structures and their relationship to early diagenetic processes, the major diagenetic processes affecting reef bodies through time (replacement and diddolution, dolomitization, phosphatogenesis), and the record of climate change by both individual coral colonies and reef systems over the Quaternary. * state-of-the-art knowledge from Recent corals reefs* introduction to sedimentological and paleoecological studies of an ecosystems encompassing some of the world's richest biodiversity.* authors are internationally regarded authorities on the subject* trustworthy information
Download or read book The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs written by Peter F. Sale and published by Gulf Professional Publishing. This book was released on 1991 with total page 780 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the ecology of coral reef fishes presented by top researchers from North America and Australia. Immense strides have been made over the past twenty years in our understanding of ecological systems in general and of reef fish ecology in particular. Many of the methodologies that reef fish ecologists use in their studies will be useful to a wider audience of ecologists for the design of their ecological studies. Significant among the impacts of the research on reef fish ecology are the development of nonequilibrium models of community organization, more emphasis on the role of recruitment variability in structuring local assemblages, the development and testing of evolutionary models of social organization and reproductive biology, and new insights into predator-prey and plant-herbivore interactions.
Download or read book Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs V1 written by Owen Arthur Jones and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs, Volume I: Geology 1 focuses on the evolution, reef types, geology, and structural and tectonic factors causing the development of coral reefs. The selection first offers information on the coral reefs of the Caribbean and Indian Ocean, including evolution, physical environment, coral diversity, reef communities, reef types and zonation, and reef morphology and sea-level change. The manuscript then takes a look at the Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls in Marshall Islands; geomorphology and geology of coral reefs in French Polynesia; and the coral reefs of New Caledonia. The publication examines the coral reefs of the New Guinea region and waters of the Great Barrier Reef province. Topics include climate, seasonal variations in temperature and salinity, and water masses in the Coral Sea and their effect on the Great Barrier Reef. The book also ponders on the geomorphology of Eastern Queensland in relation to the Great Barrier Reef; structural and tectonic factors influencing the development of coral reefs off Northeastern Queensland; and sediments of the Great Barrier Reef province. The selection is a vital source of information for marine biologists and readers interested in the geology, evolution, physical environment, and diversity of coral reefs.
Download or read book Coral Reefs written by and published by Darwin Press Incorporated. This book was released on 2002 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Although the beauty and diversity of reef species may appear as marvelous decoration, this biodiversity is important for the survival of the reef community. The various ecological, or functional, roles performed by different species provide a degree of social security enabling the reef community as a whole to sustain itself through time."--From book jacket.
Download or read book Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs V3 written by O.A. Jones and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs, Volume III: Biology 2 covers the major advances made in the biological aspects of coral reef problems. This book discusses the ecology, animal associates, and toxicity of coral reefs. Composed of 11 chapters, the book initially describes the diversity of animals permanently or temporarily associated with living corals despite the formidable nematocyst batteries possessed by corals. The text goes on discussing some specializations of some shrimps and prawns permanently associated with living corals, thus, augmenting the number of biological niches available for colonization. The subsequent chapters deal with the appearance and distribution of coral reefs echinoderms and their biogeography; the role of fishes in the energetic of the coral reef system; the high incidence of toxic fishes in coral reef waters; and the origin, transmission, detection, pharmacology, and chemistry of ciguatoxin. The book also discusses natural and man-induced destruction of coral reef communities and the rate, manner, and extent of recovery of such destruction. It also describes the types of vegetation that grow on the limestone substratum provided by coral islands. Another chapter provides distributional data on the birds of the Great Barrier Reef region and the behavior and evolution of island populations of sea birds. The concluding chapters present the general biology of sea turtles and the factors that influence the number and types of organisms found on coral islands. This book will acquaint readers with some of the exciting developments in coral reef biology and will provide information that will enable them to assess the status of research in different fields.
Download or read book Coral Reefs of the Eastern Tropical Pacific written by Peter W. Glynn and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-08-12 with total page 666 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book documents and examines the state of health of coral reefs in the eastern tropical Pacific region. It touches on the occurrence of coral reefs in the waters of surrounding countries, and it explores their biogeography, biodiversity and condition relative to the El Niño southern oscillation and human impacts. Additionally contained within is a field that presents information on many of the species presented in the preceding chapters.
Download or read book Coral Reefs in the Anthropocene written by Charles Birkeland and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume investigates the effects of human activities on coral reefs, which provide important life-supporting systems to surrounding natural and human communities. It examines the self-reinforcing ecological, economic and technological mechanisms that degrade coral reef ecosystems around the world. Topics include reefs and limestones in Earth history; the interactions between corals and their symbiotic algae; diseases of coral reef organisms; the complex triangle between reef fishes, seaweeds and corals; coral disturbance and recovery in a changing world. In addition, the authors take key recent advances in DNA studies into account which provides new insights into the population biology, patterns of species distributions, recent evolution and vulnerabilities to environmental stresses. These DNA analyses also provide new understandings of the limitations of coral responses and scales of management necessary to sustain coral reefs in their present states. Coral reefs have been essential sources of food, income and resources to humans for millennia. This book details the delicate balance that exists within these ecosystems at all scales, from geologic time to cellular interactions and explores how recent global and local changes influence this relationship. It will serve as an indispensable resource for all those interested in learning how human activities have affected this vital ecosystem around the world.
Download or read book Crochet Coral Reef written by Margaret Wertheim and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now perhaps the world's largest participatory art and science project, the Crochet Coral Reef combines mathematics, marine biology, environmental consciousness-raising and community art practice. Almost 8,000 people around the world have contributed to making an ever-evolving archipelago of giant woolen seascapes, which have been exhibited at the Hayward Gallery, the Smithsonian and many other venues. This fully illustrated book, written by the project's creators--Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring--brings together the scientific and mathematical content behind the project, along with essays about the artistic and cultural resonances of this unique experiment in radical craft practice. With a wealth of color illustrations, the book serves as a record of the 30-plus Crochet Reefs worldwide and names all 7,000-plus contributors in a specially designed section.
Download or read book Coral Reefs at the Crossroads written by Dennis K. Hubbard and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-27 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, contributors from diverse backgrounds take a first step toward an integrated view of reefs and the significance of their recent decline. More than any other earth system, coral reefs sit at a disciplinary crossroads. Most recently, they have reached another crossroads - fundamental changes in their bio-physical structure greater than those of previous centuries or even millennia. Effective strategies to mitigate recent trends will require an approach that embraces the myriad perspectives from across the scientific landscape, but will also need a mechanism to transform scientific understanding into social will and political implementation.
Download or read book Understanding Complex Coral Reef Communities Using Computational and Theoretical Approaches written by Nicholas Fabina and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scleractinian corals are the physical and energetic foundations of coral reef communities. Coral reef community dynamics are functions of complex interactions between corals, their mutualistic partners, and their competitors. These dynamics are difficult to parse using traditional approaches, and new computational and theoretical tools could shed light on ecological and evolutionary patterns. In this dissertation, I explored the ecology of coral reef communities using network theory, large-scale simulations, and machine learning. In chapter one, I used network theory to make the first quantitative assessment of coral-Symbiodinium community structure. In doing so, I found that symbiont transmission mode (horizontal or vertical) was correlated with symbiotic specificity and other community patterns. In chapter two, I applied network theory to "shallow" and "deep" coral-Symbiodinium datasets to demonstrate that the detection of community patterns was dependent on sampling coverage. Here, dominant Symbiodinium were not sufficient to detect correlations between transmission mode, symbiotic specificity, and species strengths. Subdominant Symbiodinium drove the correlation between life history traits and community patterns, suggesting that subdominant symbionts are functionally important to their hosts. In chapter three, I used a simulation approach to identify biological and ecological characteristics that are likely to determine how coral-Symbiodinium communities respond to environmental changes. My results suggest four factors that may aid coral persistence, including more robust generalist species. Finally, in chapter four, I combined simulations and machine learning to identify how coral persistence depends on both life-history traits and environmental regime. Severe bleaching events had more detrimental effects on corals than frequent bleaching events, and corals responded differentially to the two depending on their life-history traits. Together, this dissertation shed light on new ecological patterns and demonstrated that quantitative approaches have much to offer coral reef research.
Download or read book The Biology of Reefs and Reef Organisms written by Walter M. Goldberg and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2013-10-04 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reefs provide a wealth of opportunity for learning about biological and ecosystem processes, and reef biology courses are among the most popular in marine biology and zoology departments the world over. Walter M. Goldberg has taught one such course for years, and he marshals that experience in the pages of The Biology of Reefs and Reef Organisms. Goldberg examines the nature not only of coral reefs—the best known among types of reefs—but also of sponge reefs, worm reefs, and oyster reefs, explaining the factors that influence their growth, distribution, and structure. A central focus of the book is reef construction, and Goldberg details the plants and animals that form the scaffold of the reef system and allow for the attachment and growth of other organisms, including those that function as bafflers, binders, and cementing agents. He also tours readers through reef ecology, paleontology, and biogeography, all of which serve as background for the problems reefs face today and the challenge of their conservation. Visually impressive, profusely illustrated, and easy to read, The Biology of Reefs and Reef Organisms offers a fascinating introduction to reef science and will appeal to students and instructors of marine biology, comparative zoology, and oceanography.
Download or read book A Research Review of Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2019-04-05 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coral reef declines have been recorded for all major tropical ocean basins since the 1980s, averaging approximately 30-50% reductions in reef cover globally. These losses are a result of numerous problems, including habitat destruction, pollution, overfishing, disease, and climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions and the associated increases in ocean temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have been implicated in increased reports of coral bleaching, disease outbreaks, and ocean acidification (OA). For the hundreds of millions of people who depend on reefs for food or livelihoods, the thousands of communities that depend on reefs for wave protection, the people whose cultural practices are tied to reef resources, and the many economies that depend on reefs for fisheries or tourism, the health and maintenance of this major global ecosystem is crucial. A growing body of research on coral physiology, ecology, molecular biology, and responses to stress has revealed potential tools to increase coral resilience. Some of this knowledge is poised to provide practical interventions in the short-term, whereas other discoveries are poised to facilitate research that may later open the doors to additional interventions. A Research Review of Interventions to Increase the Persistence and Resilience of Coral Reefs reviews the state of science on genetic, ecological, and environmental interventions meant to enhance the persistence and resilience of coral reefs. The complex nature of corals and their associated microbiome lends itself to a wide range of possible approaches. This first report provides a summary of currently available information on the range of interventions present in the scientific literature and provides a basis for the forthcoming final report.
Download or read book Coral Reef Fishes written by Peter F. Sale and published by Gulf Professional Publishing. This book was released on 2006-07-20 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coral Reef Fishes is the successor of The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs. This new edition includes provocative reviews covering the major areas of reef fish ecology. Concerns about the future health of coral reefs, and recognition that reefs and their fishes are economically important components of the coastal oceans of many tropical nations, have led to enormous growth in research directed at reef fishes. This book is much more than a simple revision of the earlier volume; it is a companion that supports and extends the earlier work. The included syntheses provides readers with the current highlights in this exciting science. * An up-to-date review of key research areas in reef fish ecology, with a bibliography including hundreds of citations, most from the last decade * Authoritative and provocative chapters written to suggest future research priorities * Includes discussions of regulation of fish populations, dispersal or site fidelity of larval reef fishes, sensory and motor capabilities of reef fish larvae, and complexities of management of reef species and communities
