Living and mineral reefs: Are they comparable and what ecological information is preserved?
Lescinsky, H. (2016). Living and mineral reefs: Are they comparable and what ecological information is preserved?, in: Hubbard, D. et al. Coral reefs at the crossroads. Coral Reefs of the World, 6: pp. 225-259. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7567-0_10
In: Coral Reefs of the World. Springer: Dordrecht. ISSN 2213-719X, more
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| Keywords |
Geological time > Phanerozoic > Geological time > Cenozoic > Quaternary > Holocene
Geological time > Phanerozoic > Geological time > Cenozoic > Quaternary > Pleistocene
Preservation
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Fossil reefs; Pre-human baseline; Taphonomy; Time averaging |
| Abstract |
Reefs are complex ecosystems on many scales and a host of simplifications, assumptions, and limitations are inherent in surveying and characterizing them. This chapter examines the techniques used to collect data on living and mineral reefs and asks what potential biases may arise from equating the two very different types of “reefs” (i.e., a living community vs. its mineral remains). Data from each of the two has its own limitations. Although fossil assemblages are famous for lost detail, vast amounts of ecological information are also lost when surveying living reefs. Despite inherent shortcomings, living and mineral reefs both provide important ecological context that is needed to address many of todays most relevant reef questions. While data on living organisms are the foundation for documenting the status of modern reefs, mineral reef deposits provide the baseline needed to put that information in a broader context. |
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