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Title:
Coral reefs : a very short introduction / Charles Sheppard.
Author:
Sheppard, Charles (Charles R. C.), author.
Publication Information:
Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, 2014.

©2014.
Call Number:
QH541.5 .C7 S443 2014
Abstract:
Coral reefs have been long regarded with awe by the millions of people who have encountered them over the centuries. Early seafarers were wary of them, naturalists were confused by them, yet many coastal people benefited greatly from these mysterious rocky structures that grew up to the surface of the sea. They have been rich in their supply of food, and they provided a breakwater from storms and high waves to countless coastal communities that developed from their protection. Their scale is enormous and their value high. Found in countless locations around the world, from the Indo-Pacific coral reef province to the Caribbean and Australia, they support both marine and human life. In this Very Short Introduction, Charles Sheppard provides an account of what coral reefs are, how they are formed, how they have evolved, and the biological lessons we can learn from them. Today, the vibrancy and diversity of these fascinating ecosystems are under threat from over exploitation and could face future extinction, unless our conservation efforts are stepped up in order to save them.
ISBN:
9780199682775
Series:
Very short introductions ; 391

Very short introductions ; 391.
Physical Description:
127 pages : illustrations ; 18 cm.
Contents:
List of illustrations -- 1. Geology or biology? -- 2. Ancient reefs and islands -- 3. The architects of a reef -- 4. The resulting structure--a reef -- 5. Microbial and planktonic engines of the reef -- 6. Reef fish and other major predators -- 7. Pressures on reef ecosystems -- 8. Climate change and reefs -- 9. Doing something about it -- Further reading -- Index.
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