[Coral-List] Remainder: ICRS 2016 - S.29 Mesophotic and Deep Sea Coral Reef Ecosystems

[Gal Eyal]

Happy new year listers,


Just two weeks left for the abstracts submission deadline in January 15,
2016.



We would like to encourage you to submit abstracts for oral and poster
presentations for *Session 29: **Mesophotic and Deep Sea Coral Reef
Ecosystems*
<https://www.sgmeet.com/icrs2016/sessionschedule.asp?SessionID=29>.



*Session Description:*

Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) and Deep-Sea Coral Ecosystems (DSCs)
host thriving and distinct communities of biota that have remained
virtually unexplored, mainly due to the logistical complexity of accessing
greater depths. There is sparse knowledge on the ecology and biodiversity
of corals at these depths, and still less on the effect of human activities
on these ecosystems and their potential role in the context of world-wide
coral reef degradation. MCEs live at the light limit of photosynthetic
corals and DSCs grow on continental shelves and slopes, in ocean canyons,
and on seamounts – their habitat often overlapping with areas rich in
fossil fuels and minerals. Given our rapidly changing environment, it is
imminent to better understand the state and trajectory of these unique
coral ecosystems, which can occupy areas equivalent to or exceeding those
of shallow reefs. In addition, understanding the supportive role of MCEs in
the resilience of shallow-water reefs and the connectivity of DSCs is
imperative for assessment of the overall biodiversity and health of coral
reefs and can assist in delineating the important areas in protection and
management considerations (e.g. Marine Protected Areas).  To improve our
understanding of these twilight and abyssal coral ecosystems, we need a
concerted effort across a broad range of disciplines (e.g. taxonomy,
ecology, genetics, microbiology) and taxa (e.g. corals, fish, sponges) to
further characterize these unique environments.



*For more information visit: *
http://sgmeet.com/icrs2016/submission_overview.asp



*Note regarding the Symposium Proceedings:* For those interested in
submitting manuscripts for the proceedings, the deadline for manuscript
submission is January 22, 2016. For more details see:
http://sgmeet.com/icrs2016/proceedinginfo.asp



We look forward to your submissions.



Thanks and great year,

*The Session Organizers*



Gal Eyal, Tel Aviv University & The Interuniversity Institute for Marine
Sciences in Eilat, galeyal at mail.tau.ac.il

Kimberly Puglise, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science,
kimberly.puglise at noaa.gov

Christina Kellogg, U.S. Geological Survey, ckellogg at usgs.gov

Jennifer L. Salerno, George Mason University

Pim Bongaerts, Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland

Samuel Kahng, Marine Science Program Office, Hawai‘i Pacific University

Frederic Sinniger Harii, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of
the Ryukyus

Richard Pyle, Bernice P. Bishop Museum

Richard Appeldoorn, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

Heather Spalding, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

-- 
Gal Eyal
Department of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University
Address: The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat,
P.O.B:469, Zip:88103, Israel
Mobile: +972-(0)50-7384422
Office: +972-(0)8-6360119
Fax: +972-(0)8-6374329 (For Gal Eyal - Tel Aviv University)
E-mail: Galeyal at mail.tau.ac.il, Gal4596 at gmail.com
Web: http://www.mceisrael.com/
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gal_Eyal