Edmunds PJ

Evidence for a decadal-scale decline in the growth rates of juvenile scleractinian corals

Many reefs have lost a large fraction of their live coral cover. One process of central importance in this regard is the growth of new recruits out of the size range prone to mortality. Edmunds found that the growth of juvenile corals off St. John, US Virgin Islands has declined over the last 30 years. The study demonstrates the importance of long-term monitoring for assessing the resilience of coral reefs to disturbance.

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