CHAPTER I 



INTRODUCTION 



Ma rj ori e L . Rea ka 

 Department of Zoology 

 The University of Maryland 

 College Park, Maryland 20742 



This v 

 in a Wo rk 

 Meet i ng s 

 December 

 Ecol ogy o 



The go 

 to debate 

 rel ati ons 

 d i rect i on 

 for our d 

 four topi 

 and life 

 of recrui 

 structure 

 of coral 

 or not d i 

 habitats 

 woul d be 

 working i 

 g roup of 

 group and 

 in which 

 empha ses 

 i ty for a 



For ex 

 Goreau , m 

 coral ree 

 research 

 However , 

 Hyd rol ab 

 D i c k i nson 

 extensive 

 of the de 

 through t 

 the Under 

 Hawa i i ha 

 en v i ronme 

 Island. 

 Fou nda t i o 

 the Ocul i 



These 

 many of t 

 rapidly g 

 ecosystem 

 these pro 



olume includes re 

 shop on Coral Ree 

 of the Ameri can S 

 1983. The worksh 

 f the ASZ. 

 a 1 of the worksho 



what we currentl 

 hips on coral ree 

 s for future rese 

 iscussion of the 

 cs were chosen fo 

 history patterns 

 tment in coral re 



coral reef commu 

 reef ecosystems, 

 fferent processes 

 and in different 

 especially fruitf 

 n different labor 

 researchers , i nf 1 



by the particula 

 t hey have worked, 

 i n resea rch outl o 



more compl ete ex 

 ample, following 

 uch of our early 

 fs (e.g., 30-100 

 group at the Disc 

 NOAA's Undersea R 

 program at the We 



University in St 



observations and 

 ep reef commun i ty 

 he use of its sha 

 sea Research Faci 

 s made extensive 

 nts possible in H 

 Supported by NOAA 

 n's submersible, 

 na reefs off the 

 research efforts 

 hem completed wit 

 rowi ng body of k n 

 s in different pa 

 grams, especially 



search contributions from participants 

 f Ecology that is being held at the 

 ociety of Zoologists in Philadelphia, 

 op is sponsored by the Division of 



p is to serve as a forum for researchers 

 y do and do not know about functional 

 fs and to identify the most significant 

 arch. To provide a conceptual framework 

 current status of coral reef ecology, 

 r detailed consideration: 1) growth 

 of coral reef organisms, 2) the dynamics 

 ef organisms, 3) the processes that 

 nities, and 4) the structure and function 

 Of particular interest also was whether 

 predominate in shallow v_s. deep reef 

 geographical regions. I felt that it 

 ul to bring together investigators 

 atories and in different oceans. Each 

 uenced by the unique history of their 

 r aspects of the reef environment(s) 



has its own strengths and unique 

 ok. The workshop presented an opportun- 

 change of ideas among these groups, 

 the dynamic leadership of Dr. Thomas 

 knowledge of the biology of deeper 

 m) came through the efforts of an active 

 overy Bay Marine Laboratory in Jamaica, 

 esearch Facilities, initiated with the 

 st Indies Laboratory of Fairleigh 

 . Croix in 1977, have allowed more 

 even experimentation with components 

 than was previously feasible. Also, 

 1 1 ow water submersible, the M a k a 1 i ' i , 

 lity operated by the University of 

 observations and sampling in deep reef 

 awaii, Enewetak Atoll, and Johnston 

 's submersible program, Harbor Branch 

 the Johnson Sea-Link, has investigated 



east coast of Florida, 

 on the ecology of deep coral 

 hin the last 5 years, complem 

 owledge on shallow reef commu 

 rts of the world. Because ma 

 those on deeper reefs, have 



reefs , 

 en t a 

 nities 

 ny of 

 been 



and 



1 



