Look forward to the past


Submit your abstracts to our special session on the historical ecology of coral reefs at the International Coral Reef Symposium to be held in Bremen July 2020 (www.icrs2020.de). Deadline for abstract submission is 1st September 2019.

What role does historical data play in the future of coral reefs?

To tackle the future of coral reefs it is essential to understand their ecological and environmental histories. Consequently, the use of historical data in coral reef ecology is expanding. Analytical approaches are maturing, compelling sources of data are being uncovered, and historians, paleontologists and archeologists are collaborating more fluidly with marine biologists and conservationists. This multidisciplinary session will explore how paleoecological, historical, and archeological data can reveal mechanisms of natural and human-driven change in coral reef communities to better understand how they function, both today and in the future. Submissions are welcomed on, but not limited to: incorporating spatial and temporal variation into baselines; resolving drivers of change in ecological structure; identifying legacy effects, non-analogue communities and refugia; developing emerging methods (e.g ancient DNA); and improving dialogue with reef managers, conservationists, and policymakers.


Aaron O’Dea, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, aaronodea@gmail.com
John Pandolfi, University of Queensland, j.pandolfi@uq.edu.au
Loren McClenachan, Colby College, lemcclen@colby.edu
Erin Dillon, UC Santa Barbara, erinmdillon@ucsb.edu