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Description of  Growth and Decay of Coral Reefs: Fifty Years of Learning

Growth and Decay of Coral Reefs: Fifty Years of Learning describes how coral reefs have alternately flourished and declined over the last 50 years and the dynamics of these changes. The study is based on recordings at 30 different locations along the Sudanese coast, visited by the author between 1971 and 1973. Beyond the Red Sea's desert shores lie some of the richest and most diverse coral reefs on our planet. Over a thousand species of reef fishes, matched by a similar abundance of living corals, creating habitats scientists were only just beginning to understand. The complexity of the inter-relations was truly mesmerizing. A single intervention, such as removal of a key species, could cause the whole community to collapse. Healthy corals were transformed into green weed-smothered reefs, accompanied by the loss of both corals and fish. Read more