Olejar Books

This book focuses on the dynamical processes influencing the structure of coral communities, some of the most biologically diverse communities on earth. A variety of biological and physical processes operating across an enormous range of spatiotemporal scales are highlighted (e.g., niche partitioning, biological interactions, disturbance phenomena, large-scale tectonic, eustatic, climatic, and oceanographic processes). The focus on the community provides a framework for presenting some of the best examples from the literature using multiple taxonomic groups (e.g., corals, fishes, encrusting invertebrates). The theoretical background and relevant evidence are provided for several important processes: the influence of keystone species on community stability, ecological succession, interspecific competition, consumer-resource interactions, disturbance-mediated species coexistence, saturation, limited membership, and regional enrichment. The merits of integrating the local perspective, emphasizing niche theory and biological interactions, with a larger historical-geographical perspective are discussed for coral communities in a biogeographical context.