[Coral-List] Acropora alternative opinion

[Douglas Fenner]

If global warming increases water temperatures sufficiently, most or all the Acropora in the Caribbean could be dead, and a band of latitudes equal to that of the Caribbean on the east coast of the United States could become suitable habitat and colonized by Acropora.  But note the wide range of longitude in the Caribbean, while the same range of longitude for suitable habitat on the east coast of the US could be measured in meters instead of thousands of kilometers.  The net loss of available habitat in this sort of trade would be truly enormous.  Not a trade we should condone.  Besides, tinkering with Mother Nature has a way of coming up with nasty surprises.
   -Douglas Fenner