Coral Reef Ecology: Coral Loss and Reef Degradation

Coral Reef Ecology Lecture 5 - Coral Loss and Reef Degradation

Lecture Outline

• Global Declines in Hard Coral Cover

  • Historical Overview: When did coral loss start?

  • Examining the Role of Climate Change

  • Comparative Analysis: Caribbean versus Great Barrier Reef (GBR)

  • Disturbances: Acute versus Chronic

Further Reading

• Bellwood DR, Hughes TP, Folke C, Nystrom M (2004). "Confronting the Coral Reef Crisis." Nature, 429:827-833.

• Bruno JF, Selig ER (2007). "Regional Decline of Coral Cover in the Indo-Pacific: Timing, Extent, and Subregional Comparisons." PLoS ONE, 2:711.

• Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (1999). "Climate Change, Coral Bleaching and the Future of the World’s Coral Reefs." Marine Freshwater Research, 50(8), 839-866.

• Jones NP, Ruzicka RR, Colella MA, Pratchett MS, Gilliam DS (2022). "Frequent Disturbances and Chronic Pressures Constrain Stony Coral Recovery on Florida’s Coral Reef." Coral Reefs, 41(6):1665-1679.

• Tebbett et al. (In press). In: Pratchett (ed) Handbook of Coral Reef Ecology.

Status of Coral Reefs

• Recent Review Flaws: Mean coral cover is approximately 30%, significantly less in Caribbean and Atlantic compared to the Indo-Pacific.

  • Is a 30% coral cover positive or negative?