Invertebrates and their roles in coral reef ecosystems

Abstract

There are some fundamental generalizations that can be made about the biology and ecology of invertebrates associated with coral reefs. For example, it is widely accepted that coral reefs support the highest biodiversity of all marine ecosystems, and that invertebrates contribute dominantly to this condition. It is also acknowledged that numerous invertebrate taxa are involved in highly complex and coevolved relationships with metazoans, unicellular protists, and multicellular algae. Further, during the past few decades it has been demonstrated that certain invertebrate consumers can have strong and widespread effects on coral abundances, community structure, and the integrity of reef formations. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.