TY - JOUR

AU - Brandl, Simon J
AU - Rasher, Douglas B
AU - Côté, Isabelle M
AU - Casey, Jordan M
AU - Darling, Emily S
AU - Lefcheck, Jonathan S
AU - Duffy, J Emmett
TI - Coral reef ecosystem functioning: eight core processes and the role of
biodiversity
JO - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
JA - Front Ecol Environ
VL - 17
IS - 8
SN - 1540-9295
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2088
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2088
SP - 445
EP - 454
PY - 2019
AB - Coral reefs are in global decline. Reversing this trend is a primary
management objective but doing so depends on understanding what keeps reefs in
desirable states (ie ?functional?). Although there is evidence that coral reefs
thrive under certain conditions (eg moderate water temperatures, limited fishing
pressure), the dynamic processes that promote ecosystem functioning and its
internal drivers (ie community structure) are poorly defined and explored.
Specifically, despite decades of research suggesting a positive relationship
between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across biomes, few studies have
explored this relationship in coral reef systems. We propose a practical definition
of coral reef functioning, centered on eight complementary ecological processes:
calcium carbonate production and bioerosion, primary production and herbivory,
secondary production and predation, and nutrient uptake and release. Connecting
research on species niches, functional diversity of communities, and rates of the
eight key processes can provide a novel, quantitative understanding of reef
functioning and its dependence on coral reef communities that will chart the
transition of coral reefs in the Anthropocene. This will contribute urgently needed
guidance for the management of these important ecosystems.
ER -