| Historically, coral reefs have been subjected to a range of disturbances including major sedimentary events from flooded rivers (Robertson & Lee Long, 1990), storm events and changes related to long-term patterns such as El Niño (Glynn, 1985). Reef ecologists have accumulated a great deal of evidence implicating disturbance as a major influence on reef ecology (Connell, 1978). Increasing global temperatures, eutrophication in coastal areas and the physical damage that is becoming so widespread is potentially reducing the reefs intrinsic ability to cope with such perturbations. Primary production on a reef is largely dependent on a variety of algae including the symbiotic algae living in hard corals (zooxanthellae). The level of production that any of... |
