“Coral Dominance”: A Dangerous Ecosystem Misnomer?
Over 100 years ago, before threats such as global climate change and ocean acidification were issues engrossing marine scientists, numerous tropical reef biologists began expressing concern that too much emphasis was being placed on coral dominance in reef systems. These researchers believed that th...
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fthindawi:oai:hindawi.com:10.1155/2011/164127 2023-05-15T17:51:15+02:00 “Coral Dominance”: A Dangerous Ecosystem Misnomer? Peter S. Vroom 2011 https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/164127 en eng Journal of Marine Biology https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/164127 Copyright © 2011 Peter S. Vroom. Review Article 2011 fthindawi https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/164127 2019-05-26T00:30:42Z Over 100 years ago, before threats such as global climate change and ocean acidification were issues engrossing marine scientists, numerous tropical reef biologists began expressing concern that too much emphasis was being placed on coral dominance in reef systems. These researchers believed that the scientific community was beginning to lose sight of the overall mix of calcifying organisms necessary for the healthy function of reef ecosystems and demonstrated that some reefs were naturally coral dominated with corals being the main organisms responsible for reef accretion, yet other healthy reef ecosystems were found to rely almost entirely on calcified algae and foraminifera for calcium carbonate accumulation. Despite these historical cautionary messages, many agencies today have inherited a coral-centric approach to reef management, likely to the detriment of reef ecosystems worldwide. For example, recent research has shown that crustose coralline algae, a group of plants essential for building and cementing reef systems, are in greater danger of exhibiting decreased calcification rates and increased solubility than corals in warmer and more acidic ocean environments. A shift from coral-centric views to broader ecosystem views is imperative in order to protect endangered reef systems worldwide. Review Ocean acidification Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Marine Biology 2011 1 8 |
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Over 100 years ago, before threats such as global climate change and ocean acidification were issues engrossing marine scientists, numerous tropical reef biologists began expressing concern that too much emphasis was being placed on coral dominance in reef systems. These researchers believed that the scientific community was beginning to lose sight of the overall mix of calcifying organisms necessary for the healthy function of reef ecosystems and demonstrated that some reefs were naturally coral dominated with corals being the main organisms responsible for reef accretion, yet other healthy reef ecosystems were found to rely almost entirely on calcified algae and foraminifera for calcium carbonate accumulation. Despite these historical cautionary messages, many agencies today have inherited a coral-centric approach to reef management, likely to the detriment of reef ecosystems worldwide. For example, recent research has shown that crustose coralline algae, a group of plants essential for building and cementing reef systems, are in greater danger of exhibiting decreased calcification rates and increased solubility than corals in warmer and more acidic ocean environments. A shift from coral-centric views to broader ecosystem views is imperative in order to protect endangered reef systems worldwide. |
format |
Review |
author |
Peter S. Vroom |
spellingShingle |
Peter S. Vroom “Coral Dominance”: A Dangerous Ecosystem Misnomer? |
author_facet |
Peter S. Vroom |
author_sort |
Peter S. Vroom |
title |
“Coral Dominance”: A Dangerous Ecosystem Misnomer? |
title_short |
“Coral Dominance”: A Dangerous Ecosystem Misnomer? |
title_full |
“Coral Dominance”: A Dangerous Ecosystem Misnomer? |
title_fullStr |
“Coral Dominance”: A Dangerous Ecosystem Misnomer? |
title_full_unstemmed |
“Coral Dominance”: A Dangerous Ecosystem Misnomer? |
title_sort |
“coral dominance”: a dangerous ecosystem misnomer? |
publisher |
Journal of Marine Biology |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/164127 |
genre |
Ocean acidification |
genre_facet |
Ocean acidification |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/164127 |
op_rights |
Copyright © 2011 Peter S. Vroom. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/164127 |
container_title |
Journal of Marine Biology |
container_volume |
2011 |
container_start_page |
1 |
op_container_end_page |
8 |
_version_ |
1766158339373268992 |