Coral Reefs at the Crossroads (Coral Reefs of the World, 6)

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. Front Matter....Pages i-xx Coral Reefs at the Crossroads – An Introduction....Pages 1-6 Coral Calcification and Ocean Acidification....Pages 7-45 Photosymbiosis in Past and Present Reefs....Pages 47-68 Bioerosion on Modern Reefs: Impacts and Responses Under Changing Ecological and Environmental Conditions....Pages 69-101 Sponge Contributions to the Geology and Biology of Reefs: Past, Present, and Future....Pages 103-126 The Changing Face of Reef Building....Pages 127-153 Stability of Reef-Coral Assemblages in the Quaternary....Pages 155-173 Reefs Through Time: An Evolutionary View....Pages 175-196 Climate Change, Ocean Chemistry, and the Evolution of Reefs Through Time....Pages 197-223 Living and Mineral Reefs: Are they Comparable and What Ecological Information Is Preserved?....Pages 225-259 Physical and Biological Drivers of Coral-Reef Dynamics....Pages 261-275 Measuring, Interpreting, and Responding to Changes in Coral Reefs: A Challenge for Biologists, Geologists, and Managers....Pages 277-292 Back Matter....Pages 293-300