[Coral-List] Origin of Corals?

Fri Dec 18 20:28:04 UTC 2020

The citations to some articles and a book are much appreciated. Being
retired, I no longer have access to the cited material, but can find a few
abstracts and a review of the book. Nothing much seems on point. I was
hoping that the assembled experts had converged to one or a few mechanisms
to explain the distribution of corals, but I guess not. I get it that it is
easy to propose mechanisms and hard to test the ideas, but even so I guess
I'm surprised there has been no apparent convergence on the issue.
- Mel

On Wed, Dec 16, 2020 at 9:35 PM McManus, John W via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Hi Melbourne,
>
> I suggest you read the following great book. It summarizes many of the
> ideas proposed to explain differences in species richness around the world.
>
>  Corals in Space and Time: Biogeography and Evolution of the Scleractinia
> Hardcover – April 1, 1995 by J.E.N. Veron
>
> Cheers!
>
> John
> ________________________________
> From: Coral-List <coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> on behalf of
> Melbourne Briscoe via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2020 4:27 PM
> To: Douglas Fenner <douglasfennertassi at gmail.com>
> Cc: Coral-List <Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Origin of Corals?
>
> Thanks for this, Doug. I guess no one else wants to weigh in! It also seems
> like no one wants to apply a little critical thinking to some of those
> dozen theories. For example, your last paragraph mentions a "vortex
> theory." If it has been assessed, and discarded, I'm not surprised. The
> life times of coral eggs/sperm drifting across the Pacific are much shorter
> than the time it takes to get there. I can only see the abstract, but the
> methodology is not compelling.
> - Mel
>
> On Sat, Dec 12, 2020 at 4:39 PM Douglas Fenner <
> douglasfennertassi at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > There are about a dozen theories for the marine biogeographic pattern
> with
> > the center of diversity in the Coral Triangle.  I'm not up on the current
> > state of this, so I'll let others speak to it and will be interested in
> > what they say.  However, it just so happens that Science just published
> an
> > article that appears to me to be relevant, even though it is about birds
> > and not corals.
> >
> > Diversity hotspots: coldspots of speciation?
> >
> https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.sciencemag.org%2Fcontent%2F370%2F6522%2F1268&data=04%7C01%7Cjmcmanus%40rsmas.miami.edu%7Cb7f53ef55cd544cd2d5808d8a1533d6d%7C2a144b72f23942d48c0e6f0f17c48e33%7C0%7C0%7C637436726182917318%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=VMd1GEo3WWclTPz%2Fpi6blQOP3DRg%2F5t1e1jFexQRYtg%3D&reserved=0
> > <
> https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.sciencemag.org%2Fcontent%2F370%2F6522%2F1268%3Futm_campaign%3Dtoc_sci-mag_2020-12-10%26et_rid%3D17045989%26et_cid%3D3593354&data=04%7C01%7Cjmcmanus%40rsmas.miami.edu%7Cb7f53ef55cd544cd2d5808d8a1533d6d%7C2a144b72f23942d48c0e6f0f17c48e33%7C0%7C0%7C637436726182917318%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=yFvn0JvPdlfuRBdqFXVfLaDVKGJp3Tj7WRjG8qzJxhI%3D&reserved=0
> >
> >
> > The evolution of a tropical biodiversity hotspot
> >
> https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.sciencemag.org%2Fcontent%2F370%2F6522%2F1343&data=04%7C01%7Cjmcmanus%40rsmas.miami.edu%7Cb7f53ef55cd544cd2d5808d8a1533d6d%7C2a144b72f23942d48c0e6f0f17c48e33%7C0%7C0%7C637436726182917318%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=OkxNHtZqnImLaZrFsRtP3ev1ZV%2FXs1ROvZcsDQzrik8%3D&reserved=0
> >
> > I believe that this is the opposite pattern to have been reported in the
> > first publication to report the diversity pattern for corals (at the
> genus
> > level), Stehli and Wells, 1971.  They reported that coral genera in
> > high-diversity areas were younger than in lower diversity areas.
> >
> > Theories of why corals show this pattern have been very difficult to
> > test.  Veron 2000 shows the current map for coral species, genera, and
> > families, might also be on his website,
> https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coralsoftheworld.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cjmcmanus%40rsmas.miami.edu%7Cb7f53ef55cd544cd2d5808d8a1533d6d%7C2a144b72f23942d48c0e6f0f17c48e33%7C0%7C0%7C637436726182917318%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=JeIeqa9b3UWjGB9D3f%2BjIfoEdY9%2F4Q9Taay82a%2B5uIQ%3D&reserved=0
> Fish
> > show the same pattern as shown in Figure 14-11 on page 308 in Goldberg's
> > text on coral reefs, based on data from Gerry Allen.  Chuck Birkeland
> > pointed out that echinoderms show a similar pattern, in his 1989 book
> > chapter on "The influence of echinoderms on coral-reef communities."  He
> > shows in his Table 1 the data for each class of echinoderms separately,
> at
> > 10 locations, a very strong pattern for every class.  Take a look at this
> > chapter, it is an education on echinoderms on reefs.
> >
> > One interesting idea was that of the "vortex model", that westward
> flowing
> > currents in the Pacific carried newly evolved coral species westward,
> > causing them to accumulate in the western Pacific area of highest
> > diversity.  Jokeil & Martinelli, 1992.  There was also a similar study
> that
> > modeled the effect of the large number of islands and reefs concentrated
> in
> > the western Pacific vs the very sparse reefs in the eastern Pacific, and
> > reported that was sufficient to produce the pattern on its own as well.
> I
> > never found that publication, does anybody know it?
> >
> > Cheers,  Doug
> >
> > Birkeland  1989.   The influence of echinoderms on coral-reef
> communities.
> >
> >
> https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fprofile%2FCharles_Birkeland%2Fpublication%2F284657222_The_influence_of_echinoderms_on_coral-reef_communities%2Flinks%2F56b4c6d308aebbde1a7793c7.pdf&data=04%7C01%7Cjmcmanus%40rsmas.miami.edu%7Cb7f53ef55cd544cd2d5808d8a1533d6d%7C2a144b72f23942d48c0e6f0f17c48e33%7C0%7C0%7C637436726182917318%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=eLKvoBH9Uqen7ncj2AQEf8g7HFQDFTq3X9kvW2C%2FYaY%3D&reserved=0
> >
> > Goldberg.  2013.  The biology of reefs and reef organisms.  Univ
> > Chicago Press
> >
> > Jokiel & Martinelli.  1992.  The vortex model of coral reef biogeography.
> > Journal of Biogeography.
> >
> https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2Fpdf%2F2845572.pdf&data=04%7C01%7Cjmcmanus%40rsmas.miami.edu%7Cb7f53ef55cd544cd2d5808d8a1533d6d%7C2a144b72f23942d48c0e6f0f17c48e33%7C0%7C0%7C637436726182927313%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=exh%2BWl%2F2Z%2FGcbwkJZU0nhowezyfmm7ra0uyiU6QK7Q4%3D&reserved=0
> >
> > Stehli and Wells.   1971. Diversity and age patterns in hermatypic
> > corals.
> >
> https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fciteseerx.ist.psu.edu%2Fviewdoc%2Fdownload&data=04%7C01%7Cjmcmanus%40rsmas.miami.edu%7Cb7f53ef55cd544cd2d5808d8a1533d6d%7C2a144b72f23942d48c0e6f0f17c48e33%7C0%7C0%7C637436726182927313%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=hNm62rOlZZdxj0izwK%2FheJ%2FJxeM8S75RGnN0aytB4tA%3D&reserved=0
> >
> > On Sat, Dec 12, 2020 at 6:44 AM Melbourne Briscoe via Coral-List <
> > coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> >
> >> What is the currently accepted theory for the global distribution of
> >> corals?
> >> Is it still the "spreading from the epicenter in the Coral Triangle" as
> I
> >> learned many years ago or is there a more accepted idea today?
> >> thanks -
> >> - Mel Briscoe
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
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> >>
> >
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