[Coral-List] ICRS mini-symposium: Reef Ecosystems in Space and Time

[Peter J Mumby]

Dear coral-listers

On behalf of my co-convenors, Rich Aronson and Ron Karlson, I'd like to
introduce a mini-symposium for the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium,
Okinawa, June 2004.  The session is titled 'Reef Ecosystems in Space and
Time' (session 2-1) and falls under the second theme of the conference
(Environmental factors controlling coral reef formation in space and time).

Reef Ecosystems in Space and Time

The processes governing the population and community dynamics of coral reef
organisms encompass a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. For
example, larval supply, settlement behaviour, and post-settlement mortality
all influence recruitment to coral reefs. These biological processes are, in
turn, influenced by oceanic-scale currents, regional-scale circulation and
coastal environmental variation as well as  by local variation in
microhabitat availability and biotic interactions. Likewise, species
richness on coral reefs is controlled by regional TECO (tectonic, eustatic,
climatic, and oceanographic) processes, evolutionary history, and local
environmental variables (e.g., habitat, depth, biotic interactions). A
balanced understanding of reef dynamics requires that we integrate processes
across these multiple scales and hierarchical levels.

This mini-symposium emphasises the scale-dependence of processes on the
ecology and functioning of reef communities and ecosystems. The scales of
interest range from instantaneous ecological time to geological periods and
from metres or tens of metres to thousands or tens of thousands of
kilometres. Each paper will have a multi-scale perspective which may often
draw on several disciplines (e.g. ecology, biogeography, paleontology). It
is hoped that the mini-symposium will highlight the need for
multidisciplinary research in order to address pressing issues of reef
degradation.

To submit an abstract please use the ICRS website
(http://www2.ims-plaza.co.jp/icrs2004/) and send a copy to either myself
(p.j.mumby at ex.ac.uk), Rich Aronson (raronson at disl.org), or Ron
Karlson(rkarlson at UDel.Edu).

We look forward to seeing you in Okinawa.

Cheers

Pete

Dr Peter J Mumby
Royal Society Research Fellow
Corresponding Secretary, ISRS

Marine Spatial Ecology Lab
School of Biological Sciences
Hatherly Laboratory
Prince of Wales Road
University of Exeter
Exeter
Devon
EX4 4PS
UK

tel: + 44 (0)1392 263798
fax: + 44 (0)1392 263700
e-mail: p.j.mumby at exeter.ac.uk

Research: http://www.ex.ac.uk/msel
Coral Reef Group at Exeter: http://www.ex.ac.uk/celp
Remote sensing book: http://www.unesco.org/csi/pub/source/rs.htm
Education resources: http:/www.sc1.ac.uk/interactive/deep/