THE BIOLOGY OF CORAL REEFS
213
formations and ecology in the south Pacific and enabled first-hand
comparisons to be made with Atlantic reefs. It is personally pleasant to
note the continued activity of the Great Barrier Reef Committee at
Brisbane which has established a small marine station at Heron Island
in the Capricorn Group. Further observations have also been made
at Low Isles, the most intensely studied coral formation in the world.
I n addition, a, variety of papers dealing with some aspect of the
biology of corals and coral reefs have come from varied sources such aa
the Marine Biological Station at Ghardaqa (Red Sea), from various
expeditions and above all from the notable series of systematic reporta
on coral collections mentioned later.
It is far from easy to deal adequately with the maas of information
represented by these investigations in the major tropical oceans and
pursued from such very varying standpoints. The two major themes
are undoubtedly the intensive work on atolls in the Pacific, primarily
geological and oceanographical but dealing with formations that owe
their existence to the activities of living organisms, and the more
intimate researches into the physiology of corals and their symbiotic
zooxanthellae being carried out by T. F. Goreau at Jamaica. Some
link between the two is provided by the attempts at evaluating
productivity on Pacific reefs, notably by Odum and Odum (1955).
It would, however, appear best to deal with the general before the
particular, i.e. to discuss reviews of coral reef problems and systematic
work (including development) and then deal with the post-war work on
Pacific atolls (including ecological findings). The comparative work of
Newel1 gives a link with Atlantic reefs. On the other hand, the various
estimates of productivity carried out on Pacific reefs aro moat suitahly
diwussed nftor considcratioti of modern work on zooxanthellae coming
from the Haskins Laboratory and of Goreau’s investigations at
Jamaica. These represent the present growing point in research on the
individual coral on which, in the last resort, all else depends. It is
gratifying to know that Dr. Goreau will himself be dealing with this in
more authoritative detail in a forthcoming review.
11. REVIEWS
The great revival of interest in coral reefs is indicated by the number
of review articles, all by geologists or palaeontologists writing from
first-hand knowledge of reefs, which have appeared relatively recently.
Ladd and Tracey (1949) give an authoritative sketch of post-Darwinian
theories concerning coral reef formation with ~uggestiona for the mont
promising lines of future work. Ladd (19.50) givm a aurvey account of
213
formations and ecology in the south Pacific and enabled first-hand
comparisons to be made with Atlantic reefs. It is personally pleasant to
note the continued activity of the Great Barrier Reef Committee at
Brisbane which has established a small marine station at Heron Island
in the Capricorn Group. Further observations have also been made
at Low Isles, the most intensely studied coral formation in the world.
I n addition, a, variety of papers dealing with some aspect of the
biology of corals and coral reefs have come from varied sources such aa
the Marine Biological Station at Ghardaqa (Red Sea), from various
expeditions and above all from the notable series of systematic reporta
on coral collections mentioned later.
It is far from easy to deal adequately with the maas of information
represented by these investigations in the major tropical oceans and
pursued from such very varying standpoints. The two major themes
are undoubtedly the intensive work on atolls in the Pacific, primarily
geological and oceanographical but dealing with formations that owe
their existence to the activities of living organisms, and the more
intimate researches into the physiology of corals and their symbiotic
zooxanthellae being carried out by T. F. Goreau at Jamaica. Some
link between the two is provided by the attempts at evaluating
productivity on Pacific reefs, notably by Odum and Odum (1955).
It would, however, appear best to deal with the general before the
particular, i.e. to discuss reviews of coral reef problems and systematic
work (including development) and then deal with the post-war work on
Pacific atolls (including ecological findings). The comparative work of
Newel1 gives a link with Atlantic reefs. On the other hand, the various
estimates of productivity carried out on Pacific reefs aro moat suitahly
diwussed nftor considcratioti of modern work on zooxanthellae coming
from the Haskins Laboratory and of Goreau’s investigations at
Jamaica. These represent the present growing point in research on the
individual coral on which, in the last resort, all else depends. It is
gratifying to know that Dr. Goreau will himself be dealing with this in
more authoritative detail in a forthcoming review.
11. REVIEWS
The great revival of interest in coral reefs is indicated by the number
of review articles, all by geologists or palaeontologists writing from
first-hand knowledge of reefs, which have appeared relatively recently.
Ladd and Tracey (1949) give an authoritative sketch of post-Darwinian
theories concerning coral reef formation with ~uggestiona for the mont
promising lines of future work. Ladd (19.50) givm a aurvey account of