The Fate of Corals: Will They Overcome Competition with Algae and Cyanobacteria in a Changing Environment?
Registration in:
10.5772/intechopen.71568
instname:Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano
reponame:Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano
Author
Puyana, Monica
Institutions
Abstract
Coral reefs provide substantial ecological and economic services to coastal communities
in the tropics. Hence, there is a great concern about the permanence of these ecosystems
and the consequent loss of the economic, ecological and social services coral reefs provide
due to their susceptibility to natural and anthropogenic threats. Large-scale processes
such as strong El Niño Southern Oscillation events, global warming and ocean acidification
represent significant challenges for coral reefs. Benthic cyanobacteria and seaweed
have substantially increased in reef areas, facilitated by excessive nutrient input, reduction
in herbivore populations and global warming. This review briefly describes the currently
known aspects of coral, algae and cyanobacterial interactions, as well as the local
and global environmental and ecological aspects that have caused the increase of algae
and cyanobacteria in detriment to reef corals. Reef communities will keep changing in the
light of large-scale events and anthropogenic influences. As short-term measures, ambitious
programs for grazer reintroduction could help curb population growth of algae and
cyanobacteria. Medium- to long-term measures should be oriented at limiting nutrient
input to water bodies.