Yes and no. These synthetic stones are in fact re-agglomerated materials. The process is explained in more detail later in the book. Basically, the principle is as follows: starting with a mineral substance such as eroded, disintegrated or naturally disaggregated rock – such as the limestone found everywhere in northern France – we give it a compact structure using a binder, a geological glue t...

During the past two decades coral reefs in the greater Caribbean area have been altered by phase shifts away from corals and toward macroalgae or algal turfs. This study tested the hypothesis that because the phase shift on reefs in Jamaica and southeast Florida involved frondose macroalgae, bottom-up control via nutrient enrichment must be a causal factor. The approach was multifaceted and inc...

A close examination of the coral disease literature reveals many hypothesized mechanisms for how coral disease may be linked to climate change. However, evidence has been largely circumstantial, and much uncertainty remains. Here, I review the latest information on both the predicted effects of climate change in coastal marine ecosystems and current research on coral-pathogen dynamics in relati...

Climate change is negatively affecting the stability of natural ecosystems, especially coral reefs. The dissociation of the symbiosis between reef-building corals and their algal symbiont, or coral bleaching, has been linked to increased sea surface temperatures. Coral bleaching has significant impacts on corals, including an increase in disease outbreaks that can permanently change the entire ...

The Mississippian Salem Limestone, from which dimension stone is quarried in Indiana, is principally a calcarenitic rock formed of fossil bryozoans, echinoderms, and specimens of Endothyra. Numerical associations of the fossils, binding materials, oolitically coated fossils, and voids were determined by counting points on the surfaces of 278 thin sections of the limestone. Median sizes, coeffic...

Coral reefs play an important physiological and ecological role in coastal ecosystems such as providing natural breakwaters that protect shorelines and human settlements from waves and storm. Corals killed by tsunami, waves and storms are often degraded into rubble. This rubble is dynamic, easily shifted by currents and storms, which effectively forms ‘‘killing fields’’ for coral juveniles, hin...

The environmental processes that prevent reef framework development in areas with a diverse and dense cover of coral were investigated in the southern Arabian Gulf (Dubai, UAE), the southwestern Indian Ocean (South Africa) and the central Caribbean (Cayman Islands, BWI). In Dubai, temperature anomalies predicted to recur every 10-15 yr cause repeated mass mortalities of Acropora spp., the domin...

The assembly of fungal communities on stone materials is mainly influenced by the differential bioreceptivity of such materials and environmental conditions. However, little is known about the role of fungal interactions in the colonization and establishment of fungal species. We analyzed the effects of intra- and interspecific interactions between 11 species of fungi in oligotrophic and copiot...

Abstract Groundwater exploration is an alternative to meet raw water needs because of the increasing demand and dwindling surface availability. Water use continues increase along with rate population growth in Rote Ndao Regency. Therefore, initial assessment presence groundwater can be carried out by identifying basin area. Batutua one areas occupied most it capital This study aims identify aqu...

Background Often called the rainforests of the sea, coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, but this diversity is in trouble. Recently, coral reefs are thought to be experiencing a worldwide decline from increases in pollution and global temperatures, and certain coral reef ecosystems are more threatened than others (Jackson 2010). Coral reefs are considered to be one of th...