Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T16:15:08.465Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

12 - Algal symbiosis, and the collapse and recovery of reef communities: Lazarus corals across the K–T boundary

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2009

Stephen J. Culver
Affiliation:
East Carolina University
Peter F. Rawson
Affiliation:
University College London
Get access

Summary

INTRODUCTION

It has long been customary to consider the ecology of corals in terms of reef and non-reef groups. Yonge's (1940) landmark review also emphasized the critical role of algal symbiosis in the ecology of modern reefs and reef corals, and this view has since been reinforced by numerous other authors. This in turn has influenced perceptions of ancient reefs, and more recently it has generated a series of important reviews specifically relating patterns of reef-building through geological time to the history of algal symbiosis in corals and other reef organisms (e.g. Cowen, 1988; Talent, 1988; Copper, 1989; Stanley, 1992; Wood, 1993; 1995; Stanley & Swart, 1995). As part of this, intervals of reef absence in the geological record are attributed by some to collapse (sic) of algal symbiosis. Alongside this, most of these authors have also accepted and furthered the idea first expressed by Newell (1971) that the pattern of reef communities through time has consisted of relatively stable ‘packages’, punctuated by phases of short-term, rapid change, mediated by global events (see also Boucot, 1983; Heckel, 1974; James, 1983; Sheehan, 1985; Fagerstrom, 1987; Jackson, 1992; 1994; Kauffman & Fagerstrom, 1993).

Hallock and Schlager (1986) added an extra strand to these arguments by suggesting that, since modern reef corals, reefs and algal symbiosis are adversely affected by nutrient-rich (eutrophic) waters, fluctuating patterns of reef occurrence on various geological timescales might also be controlled by regional to global fluctuations in nutrient levels.

Type
Chapter
Information
Biotic Response to Global Change
The Last 145 Million Years
, pp. 164 - 180
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×