In this book, contributors from diverse backgrounds take a first step toward an integrated view of reefs and the significance of their recent decline. More than any other earth system, coral reefs sit at a disciplinary crossroads. Most recently, they have reached another crossroads - fundamental changes in their bio-physical structure greater than those of previous centuries or even millennia. Effective strategies to mitigate recent trends will require an approach that embraces the myriad perspectives from across the scientific landscape, but will also need a mechanism to transform scientific understanding into social will and political implementation.

1. Coral reefs at the Crossroads

Dennis K. Hubbard

2. Coral Calcification and Ocean Acidification

Paul L. Jokiel, Christopher P. Jury and Ilsa B. Kufner

3. Photosymbiosis in Past and Present Reefs

Jere H. Lipps and Georhe D. Stanley, Jr.

4. Bioerosion on Modern Reefs: Impacts and Responses Under Changing Ecological and Environmental Conditions

Chris T Perry and Alistair R. Harborne

5. Sponge Contributions to the Geology and Biology of Reefs: Past, Present, and Future

Janie Wulff

6. The Changing Face of Reef Building

Dennis K. Hubbard and Wulf-Christian Dull

7. Stability of Reef-Coral Assemblages in the Quaternary

William F. Precht and Richard B. Aronson

8. Reefs Through Time: An Evolutionary View

Jere H. Lipps and George D. Stanley

9. Climate Change, Ocean Chemistry, and the Evolution of Reefs through Time

Christopher P. Jury and Paul L. Jokiel

10. Living and Mineral Reefs: Are They Comparable and What Ecological Information is Preserved?

Halard Lescinsky

Richard B. Aronson and William F. Precht

12. Measuring, Interpreting, and Responding To Changes in Coral Reefs: A Challenge for Biologists, Geologists and Managers

Caroline S. Rogers and Jeff Miller