The Princeton Guide to Ecology

Coral reef ecosystems exhibit complex dynamics driven by multiple, interacting processes that operate across a range of scales, from local to global and from days to millions of years. Many reefs have been degraded by human action in recent decades, reducing their capacity to absorb recurrent natural and unnatural disturbances. Rebuilding and sustaining the resilience of coral reefs will depend on interventions that are based on an improved understanding of multiscale processes. The current emphasis on conservation of biodiversity hot spots and on establishing networks of no-take areas does not adequately recognize the functional role of key species groups and the critical seascape connections between protected and unprotected reefs.

biodiversity hot spots. Regions with exceptionally high species richness, often selected as priority targets for the protection of marine ecosystems.

endemics. Species with small geographic ranges.

functional group. A group of species that share a common ecological function, regardless of their taxonomic affinities. An example is the herbivores found on coral reefs, a diverse assemblage that includes many species of fish, sea urchins, and threatened species such as green turtles and dugongs.

pandemics. Species with very large geographic ranges.

planula. The free-swimming larva of corals. Planulae are released directly by brooded corals following internal fertilization. Spawning corals release both eggs and sperm, and fertilization is external.

spatial refuge. A location where a species or local population is less likely to be affected by its predators, competitors, or pathogens or other processes impacting on its survival, growth, and reproduction.

Coral reefs are iconic high-diversity ecosystems that are important for coastal human societies, primarily in developing countries. They support the livelihoods of well over 250 million people, primarily through subsistence fisheries and international tourism. Despite their intrinsic aesthetic, cultural, and social value, many coral reefs worldwide have been degraded, especially in the past 20–30 years, reducing their capacity to regenerate from natural and human disturbances. The primary causes of these declines are coastal runoff resulting from land clearing and increased urbanization, overfishing, and climate change. Through time, the scale of human impacts has grown, with even the most remote reefs being increasingly vulnerable to global warming and ocean acidification. Coral reefs are structured by spatial processes that range in scale from global to local, and their capacity to regenerate following disturbance depends on sources of resilience that operate at multiple scales. However, the scales of management of marine ecosystems are usually mismatched to the scales of important processes and to a growing array of human impacts. Interventions are often fragmented and too small in scale to be effective. An emerging approach to management highlights the importance of key multiscale processes undertaken by critical functional groups of species (including the role

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