2 Biodiversity is an important factor in all healthy ecosystems. Coral reef ecosystems support an incredibly diverse community of fish species. As coral reefs are in decline due to a combination of factors such as climate change and over fishing, the species which are being supported by the reef are at risk. In particular, coral reef fish communities have been shown to be in decline. Coral reef...

Overfishing threatens coral reefs worldwide, yet there is no reliable estimate on the number of reef fishers globally. We address this data gap by quantifying the number of reef fishers on a global scale, using two approaches - the first estimates reef fishers as a proportion of the total number of marine fishers in a country, based on the ratio of reef-related to total marine fish landed value...

Coral communities are changing rapidly worldwide through loss of coral cover and shifts in species composition. Although many reef-building corals are likely to decline, some weedy opportunistic species might increase in abundance. Here we explore whether the reshuffling of species can maintain ecosystem integrity and functioning. Using four common Caribbean reef-building coral genera we modele...

Tropical reefs are dynamic ecosystems that host diverse coral assemblages with different life-history strategies. Here, we quantified how juvenile (<50 mm) coral demographics influenced benthic coral structure in reef flat and reef slope habitats on the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Permanent plots and settlement tiles were monitored every six months for three years in each habitat. T...

Unprecedented development along tropical shorelines is causing severe degradation of coral reefs primarily from increases in sedimentation. Sediment particles smother reef organisms and reduce light available for photosynthesis. Excessive sedmentation can adversely affect the structure and function of the coral reef ecosystem by altering both physical and biological processes. Mean sediment rat...

Over 60% of Singapore’s coral reef habitat have been lost to decades of urban development pressure including land reclamation. Underwater visibility of less than 2m due to heavy sedimentation has restricted the healthy coral growth zone to the reef crest and upper 5m of the reef slope. Despite the impacts, coral species diversity has remained high together with predictable coral mass spawning e...

For my parents, for introducing me to the wonders of coral reefs from an early age and for their everlasting support " Coral reefs are threatened, not doomed – if we can avoid extreme climate change, runoff and over-fishing. Prevention is better than cure, but recovery is possible. The decisions we make now, or don't make, will have profound long-term consequences. " und Alex, die mich zu jeder...

the lipid content and composition of the reef-building coral acropora downingi, the largest coral reef of hengam island, were examined throughout a year. the results showed that the lipid content of a. downingi significantly differs in different seasons (t-test, p< 0.05). depending on the season and spawning times, the lipid content of a. downingi ranged from 16.5 to 37.7 % (dry weight). the to...

One of the first things that catches the attention of a diver entering the warm waters of the coral reef is the phenomenal diversity, abundance, and beauty of fishes swimming before them. While all organisms on the coral reef are integrated into its overall ecology, fishes are certainly among the more readily observable taxons, and are an extremely important component of overall reef function. ...