[Coral-List] Submit an abstract for ICRS 2020 session on octocorals, sponges, macroalgae

[Christineferrierpages]

You are working on the response of tropical and temperate soft corals, gorgonians, sponges, macroalgae to environmental changes? You are mostly welcome to present your results in our session at the next International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) 2020 in Bremen: “Shift in scleractinian dominated reefs – are we facing new winners - octocorals, sponges and macroalgae?

Description of our session is pasted below. We are currently soliciting abstracts, and particularly encourage students and early career researchers to submit abstracts for an oral presentation. Please feel free to contact us for any further information or questions.

 Looking forward to seeing you in Bremen next year! 

 
Abstract: Coral reefs worldwide have suffered significant declines in coral cover and species diversity, due to the combined effects of global change, pollution and diseases, among others. In many areas like the Caribbean or the Great Barrier, the role of stony corals as architects of the ecosystem is substituted by other three-dimensional alive structures. For example, these changes are often associated with shifts from hard coral-dominated communities to macroalgae, sponges or octocoral-dominated communities. During the last decades, a huge effort has been made to understand scleractinian coral distribution or demography, reproduction or growth, physiology or symbiotic patterns, but relatively little is known on the autoecology and the ecosystem role of the other benthic groups and on their response to environmental perturbations. This clearly limits our capacity to forecast and understand future changes in the seascape of tropical systems. Our session will focus on the structure and function of octocoral, sponge and macroalgal communities, in coral reef ecosystems and how they are affected by the ongoing environmental changes. We invite contributions that examine the ecology, life history, physiology, trophic ecology and symbiotic relationships of these benthic groups and the mechanisms underlying their resilience under environmental and anthropogenic stress. We will be encouraging submissions across all geographic regions, where octocorals, sponges and macroalgae play an increasing role in the ecosystem.  We will also encourage young participants to contribute this session.

Christine Ferrier-Pages: ferrier at centrescientifique.mc <mailto:ferrier at centrescientifique.mc>
Yehuda Benayahu: yehudab at tauex.tau.ac.il <mailto:yehudab at tauex.tau.ac.il>
Sergio Rossi: sergio.rossi at unisalento.it <mailto:sergio.rossi at unisalento.it>