A
Anonymous
Guest
I was just looking at the speaker list for MACNA 15. There is an excellent speaker/topic that I think will be of interest to us "greenreefers".
Here is an abstract of the presentation:
http://www.lmas.org/M15/gleason.htm
Dr. Dan Gleason
Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth and rival tropical rain forests in their biological complexity and productivity. Reefs are currently in crisis from the impact of multiple stressors that are physical (e.g., elevated temperature, sedimentation, UV radiation), chemical (e.g., pesticides, nutrients), and biological (e.g., disease, bleaching, competition with macroalgae) in nature. More than 25% of the world’s reefs have been lost already, and it is likely that most will be functionally gone within the next 30-50 yr if corrective action is not taken. In the Caribbean, unprecedented mortalities of what were previously the dominant coral species are leading to functional changes in reefs that could have cascading effects on other invertebrate and fish species that occupy reef habitats. In this presentation I will discuss field experiments that are being conducted to identify the causes and consequences of coral reef declines. I will also discuss the role that man may be playing in these reef declines and how variation in coral reproductive patterns may be the factor leading to the observed functional changes in reefs. Finally, I will identify ways that marine aquarists and the aquarium industry can act to increase our understanding and help preserve tropical coral reef ecosystems.
Here is an abstract of the presentation:
http://www.lmas.org/M15/gleason.htm
Dr. Dan Gleason
Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth and rival tropical rain forests in their biological complexity and productivity. Reefs are currently in crisis from the impact of multiple stressors that are physical (e.g., elevated temperature, sedimentation, UV radiation), chemical (e.g., pesticides, nutrients), and biological (e.g., disease, bleaching, competition with macroalgae) in nature. More than 25% of the world’s reefs have been lost already, and it is likely that most will be functionally gone within the next 30-50 yr if corrective action is not taken. In the Caribbean, unprecedented mortalities of what were previously the dominant coral species are leading to functional changes in reefs that could have cascading effects on other invertebrate and fish species that occupy reef habitats. In this presentation I will discuss field experiments that are being conducted to identify the causes and consequences of coral reef declines. I will also discuss the role that man may be playing in these reef declines and how variation in coral reproductive patterns may be the factor leading to the observed functional changes in reefs. Finally, I will identify ways that marine aquarists and the aquarium industry can act to increase our understanding and help preserve tropical coral reef ecosystems.
