Coral reef decline; Anthropogenic Nutrients and the Degradation of Western Atlantic and Caribbean Coral Reefs
Hallock P, Muller-Karger FE, Halas JC. 1993. Coral reef decline; Anthropogenic Nutrients and the Degradation of Western Atlantic and Caribbean Coral Reefs. National Geographic Research & Exploration. 9(3):358-378
This article highlights how nutrients, algae, and bioerosion impact coral communities. Coral reefs are deteriorating worldwide, with some of the most serious losses occurring in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Direct damage or destruction of reefs occurs from sedimentation, destructive fishing, poorly regulated mining and construction, and anthropogenic nutrients. However, coral cover has declined on reefs tens to hundreds of kilometers from direct or concentrated anthropogenic influence. Typical sympcoms of reef decline are loss of branching and head corals, increasing abundance of benthic algae and filter-feeding animals, destabilized herbivore populations, and increased bioerosion. Changes in benthic communities are consistent with observations that nutrient flux to marine communities is increasing in direct proportion to growing human populations in adjacent areas. This paper explains why reef communities are sensitive to even subtle increases of nutrient input to reefal waters, and describes how reef communities respond to increasing nutrient resources. Because the coral reef literature is vast, a few selected citations are provided to lead the interested reader into the multitude of papers available on each aspect discussed.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Hallock, Pamela; Muller-Karger, Frank; Halas, John
- Units
- BISC
- Keywords
- Anthropogenic impacts, bioerosion, Bleaching, Coral Reef, Disturbance, Nutrients, nutrification