Corals in Space and Time: The Biogeography and Evolution of the ScleractiniaAs concerns about the change in global climate and the loss of biodiversity have mounted, attention has focused on the depletion of the ozone layer and the destruction of tropical rainforests. But recently scientists have identified another seriously endangered ecosystem: coral reefs. In Corals in Space and Time, J.E.N. Veron provides a richly detailed study of corals that will inform investigations of these fragile ecosystems. Drawing on twenty-five years of research, Veron brings together extensive field observations about the taxonomy, biogeography, paleontology, and biology of corals. After introducing coral taxonomy and biogeography, as well as relevant aspects of coral biology for the non-specialist, he provides an interpretation of the fossil record and paleoclimates, an analysis of modern coral distribution, and a discussion of the evolutionary nature and origins of coral species. Revealing a sharp conflict between empirical observations about the geographical variation within species, Veron introduces a non-Darwinian theory of coral evolution. He proposes that the evolution of coral species is driven not primarily by natural selection, but by constantly shifting patterns of ocean circulation, which produce changing variations of genetic connectivity. This mechanism of speciation and hybridization has far-reaching consequences for the study of all types of corals and potentially many other groups of organisms as well. |
Contents
Data quality | 8 |
Bridging taxonomic methods | 30 |
Observations about coral distributions | 45 |
SPECIES CONCEPTS AND SPECIES DIVERSITY | 61 |
Species diversity in corals | 69 |
REPRODUCTION AND POPULATION DYNAMICS | 77 |
Species and population dynamics | 84 |
Latitudecorrelated environmental parameters | 90 |
Summary | 186 |
Patterns over the whole IndoPacific | 203 |
Reticulate pattern formation | 216 |
THE NATURE AND ORIGINS OF SPECIES | 225 |
The origins of species | 233 |
CHARACTERS OF FAMILIES AND GENERA | 240 |
Family Siderastreidae 247 Family Agariciidae | 248 |
Family Meandrinidae 254 Family Mussidae 254 Family Merulinidae | 256 |
PART B FOSSILS AND PALAEOCLIMATES | 105 |
The Triassic 111 The Jurassic 114 The Cretaceous | 115 |
THE CENOZOIC FOSSIL RECORD | 130 |
Concepts of macroevolutionary change | 148 |
MODERN DISTRIBUTIONS | 153 |
Summary | 169 |
Other editions - View all
Corals in Space and Time: The Biogeography and Evolution of the Scleractinia J. E. Veron,John Edward Norwood Veron No preview available - 1995 |
Corals in Space and Time: The Biogeography and Evolution of the Scleractinia John Edward Norwood Veron No preview available - 1995 |
Corals in Space and Time: The Biogeography and Evolution of the Scleractinia John Edward Norwood Veron No preview available - 1995 |
Common terms and phrases
ABUNDANCE Acropora Barrier Reef biogeography biological boundaries Caribbean Cenozoic central Indo-Pacific chapter cladistic colonies colour common conspicuous contours coral biogeography coral distributions coral reefs coral species coral taxonomy corallites correlated Cretaceous cycles dispersion distinct distribution ranges eastern Pacific ecological ecomorphs endemic environmental Eocene EXTANT SPECIES extinction fauna figure FOSSIL RECORD genera genetic genus geographic subspecies geographic variation geological global habitats high-latitude hybridisation Hypothesis Indian Ocean isolated Japan latitude latitudinal major mechanisms Mesozoic metaspecies Miocene molecular Montipora morphological non-reef NUMBER OF EXTANT number of species observations occur Ocean to southern Oligocene origin palaeoclimatic patterns Pavona physical environment physical-environmental Pliocene Pocillopora populations Porites PRESENT DISTRIBUTION Red Sea reef corals regions reproductive reticulate evolution Ryukyu Islands Scleractinia Sea and western sea level skeletal southern Pacific speciation species concept species diversity studies Surface circulation vicariance syngameons systematic taxa taxon taxonomic temperature Tethys tion tropical Veron western Australia western Indian Ocean wide