Changes in Florida's Coral Reef Communitites
People all over the world know coral reefs for their incredible beauty and diversity. Tourists flock to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to catch a glimpse of a natural wonder. Even among ecologists, many cite coral reefs as their favorite ecosystem. Florida Keys Reef. Source: Surfrider Foundation Hopefully, if you are interested in coral reefs, you also know that they are in danger. The coastal environments that we enjoy today have a long history of exploitation and human intervention. Fortunately, increased modern protections for these crucial systems eliminated much of the direct harvesting by humans within coral reefs. Other human-caused changes to the environment, such as nutrient runoff, increased sedimentation, and global warming, threaten the integrity of coral reefs and reduce their viability. Logically, if the ocean conditions become unfavorable for most coral species, "weedy" or stress-tolerant species will increase in abundance and ultimately edge out