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Can I read The Evolutionary Diversity and Ecological Complexity of Coral Reefs on EtoBox?
The Evolutionary Diversity and Ecological Complexity of Coral Reefs by Knowlton, Nancy; Jackson, Jeremy is a Earth and Planetary Sciences article available to read on EtoBox.
What is The Evolutionary Diversity and Ecological Complexity of Coral Reefs about?
Coral reefs are the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on the planet, with at least one quarter of all marine species associated with reefs today. This diversity, which remains very poorly understood, is nevertheless extraordinary when one considers the small proportion of ocean area that is occupied by coral reefs. Networks of competitive and trophic linkages are also exceptionally complex and dense. Reefs have a long fossil record, although extensive reef building comes and goes. In the present, coral reefs sometimes respond dramatically to disturbances, and collapses are not always followed by recoveries. Today, much of this failure to recover appears to stem from the fact that most reefs are chronically stressed by human activities, judging by observations of recovery at exceptional locations where local human activity is minimal. How long reefs can continue to bounce back in the face of warming and acidification remains an open question. Another big uncertainty is how much loss of biodiversity will occur with the inevitable degradation of coral reefs that will continue in most places for the foreseeable future.
Who reads The Evolutionary Diversity and Ecological Complexity of Coral Reefs?
It is typically read by researchers, students, and practitioners in Earth and Planetary Sciences.
- Author
- Knowlton, Nancy; Jackson, Jeremy
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press; Cambridge University Press (CUP) (ISSN 1089-3326)
- Published
- 2011
- Language
- EN
- Field
- Earth and Planetary Sciences (Physical Sciences)