Geomorphically controlled coral distribution in degraded shallow reefs of the Western Caribbean.

ABSTRACT: The development of coral reefs results from the interaction between ecological and geological processes in space and time. Their difference in scale, however, makes it difficult to detect the impact of ecological changes on geological reef development. The decline of coral cover over the last 50 years, for example, has dramatically impaired the function of ecological processes on reefs. Yet given the limited-resolution of their Holocene record, it is uncertain how this will impact accretion and structural integrity over longer timescales. In addition, reports of this ecological decline have focused on intrinsic parameters such as coral cover and colony size at the expense of extrinsic ones such as geomorphic and environmental variables. Despite these problems, several attempts have been ma

SUBMITTER: Medina-Valmaseda AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8929170 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature