Historical ecology of coral reefs

Abstract

Seascapes, nearly anywhere you care to investigate, have undergone undeniable transitions from “nature-dominated” to “human-dominated” regimes (Figure 1). Knowing the nature and timing of these transitions cannot be attempted outside of a historical context. How do humans interact with seascapes? How long ago was this interaction first detectable? Lengthening the temporal scale of ecological studies affords the opportunity to debate the characteristics of the transition from nature to human-dominated seascapes along slowly changing gradients. It is also of critical importance to reef management for (1) identifying drivers of ecosystem change, (2) providing meaningful goals for successful management and a means for measuring success of management actions, and (3) adopting a dynamic view of ecosystems.