Coral community structure

Before exploring the intricacies of reef biogenic processes, we should consider some aspects of reef community structure and zonation. Reefs are comprised of large numbers of spectacular animals, particularly the corals themselves, but the far less conspicuous plants (mostly algae) have a standing crop which exceeds that of the animals. The name coral reef therefore is... 

R. Santas, A. Korda, C. Lianou, P. Santas (1998). Community responses to UV radiation. I. Enhanced UV-B effects on biomass and community structure of filamentous algal assemblages growing in a coral reef mesocosm. Mar. Biol, 131, 153-162. 

Many herbivorous fishes are found on coral reefs (Horn 1989 Choat 1991) and their grazing activities are commonly the dominant factor affecting the distribution and abundance of macroalgae (e.g., Morrison 1988 Hixon and Brostoff 1996 Marques et al. 2006) as well as the structure and function of marine communities and ecosystems in general (Duffy and Hay 2001). For example, the exclusion of... 

Microbial communities associated with the surface mucopolysaccharide layer and tissue of healthy and yellow band diseased coral, Montastraea faveolata, were examined with GeoChip to determine the microbial functional structures and understand how changes in the microbial community may impact disease status (109). Diseased corals had increased numbers of cellulose degradation and nitrification genes, suggesting that these processes may provide a competitive advantage to coral pathogens. 

Slattery, M. and McClintock, J. B., An overview of the population biology and chemical ecology of three species of Antarctic soft corals, in Antarctic Communities Species, Structure and Survival, Battaglia, B., Valencia, J., and Walton, D. W. H., Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K., 1997, 309. 

Odum, H. T., and Odum, E. P. (1955). Trophic structure and productivity of a windward coral reef community on Enewetak AtoU. Ecol. Monogr. 25, 291—320. 

Coral reef frameworks are partially lithified carbonate structures on which reef communities grow. Pore-waters of reef frameworks are mostly anaerobic and contain elevated levels of dissolved nutrients (Skyring Chambers, 1976 Buddemeier Oberdorfer, 1983 Corredor Capone, 1985 Sansone, 1985 Sansone etal., 1990). This is a common feature of many coral reefs (Sansone etal., 1990), and a direct result of oxidation of organic matter (Sansone etal., 1990 Tribble etal., 1990). The subsequent production of carbonic acid from the oxidation of organic matter lowers pore-water pH and reduces the activity of the carbonate ion, thus facilitating in situ dissolution of carbonate (primarily aragonite) (Sansone etal., 1990 Tribble etal., 1990). 

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