Eastern Pacific Coral Reef Ecosystem
303
invading exotic species, a few foreseeable threats underline the gravity of
this problem: ( 1) Acanthaster planci could cause massive coral mortality
throughout the Caribbean region; (2) coral diseases, unknown in the eastern Pacific, could spread quickly among Pacific corals; (3) the endemism
of Caribbean/Pacific corals, and numerous other taxa, could become compromised.
Although eastern Pacific coral reefs are probably among the most
depauperate known, and are small and scattered in distribution, they
nonetheless represent unique ecosystems that have innumerable benefits
to many coastal communities of tropical western America now and in the
future. The sustained use of this valuable resource depends upon a program of protection and appropriate management practices that requires
urgent implementation and coordination at both national and local levels.
Acknowledgements. Thanks are due S.D. Cairns for information on regional differences
in coral species diversity, and J. Cortes, H. Guzman, G.E. Leyte Morales, J. Mate, H. Reyes
Bonilla, and B. Vargas Angel for information on marine protected areas. R. Araujo and R.
Carter kindly assisted in the preparation of illustrations. A. C. Baker, R.N. Ginsburg, I. G.
Macintyre, A.M. Szmant, and G.M. Wellington are thanked for their help in sharpening
the focus of this essay. My knowledge of eastern Pacific coral reef ecology has been
gained largely through research support from the Smithsonian Institution, the National
Science Foundation (USA), and the National Geographic Society.
References
Birkeland C (1977) The importance of rate of biomass accumulation in early successional stages of benthic communities in the survival of coral recruits. Proc 3rd Int Coral
Reef Symp 1:15-21
Birkeland C (1987) Nutrient availability as a major determinant of differences among
coastal hard-substratum communities in different regions of the tropics. In: Birkeland C (ed) Comparison between Atlantic and Pacific tropical marine coastal ecosystems: community structure, ecological processes, and productivity. UNESCO reports
in marine science, vol 46. UNESCO, Paris, pp 45-97
Birkeland C (1997) Implications for resource management. In: Birkeland C (ed) Life and
death of coral reefs. Chapman and Hall, New York, pp 411-435
Bryant D, BurkeL, McManus J, Spalding M ( 1998) Reefs at risk, a map-based indicator of
threats to the world's coral reefs. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC, p 56
Carriquiry JD, Reyes Bonilla H (1997) Community structure and geographic distribution of the coral reefs of Nayarit, Mexican Pacific. Cienc Mar 23:227-248
Coates AG, Obando JA (1996) The geologic evolution of the Central American Isthmus.
In: Jackson JBC, Budd AF, Coates AG (eds) Evolution and environment in tropical
America. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 21-56
Colgan MW ( 1990) El Nifio and the history of eastern Pacific reef building. In: Glynn PW
(ed) Global ecological consequences of the 1982-83 El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
Elsevier Oceanogr Ser 52. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 183-232
303
invading exotic species, a few foreseeable threats underline the gravity of
this problem: ( 1) Acanthaster planci could cause massive coral mortality
throughout the Caribbean region; (2) coral diseases, unknown in the eastern Pacific, could spread quickly among Pacific corals; (3) the endemism
of Caribbean/Pacific corals, and numerous other taxa, could become compromised.
Although eastern Pacific coral reefs are probably among the most
depauperate known, and are small and scattered in distribution, they
nonetheless represent unique ecosystems that have innumerable benefits
to many coastal communities of tropical western America now and in the
future. The sustained use of this valuable resource depends upon a program of protection and appropriate management practices that requires
urgent implementation and coordination at both national and local levels.
Acknowledgements. Thanks are due S.D. Cairns for information on regional differences
in coral species diversity, and J. Cortes, H. Guzman, G.E. Leyte Morales, J. Mate, H. Reyes
Bonilla, and B. Vargas Angel for information on marine protected areas. R. Araujo and R.
Carter kindly assisted in the preparation of illustrations. A. C. Baker, R.N. Ginsburg, I. G.
Macintyre, A.M. Szmant, and G.M. Wellington are thanked for their help in sharpening
the focus of this essay. My knowledge of eastern Pacific coral reef ecology has been
gained largely through research support from the Smithsonian Institution, the National
Science Foundation (USA), and the National Geographic Society.
References
Birkeland C (1977) The importance of rate of biomass accumulation in early successional stages of benthic communities in the survival of coral recruits. Proc 3rd Int Coral
Reef Symp 1:15-21
Birkeland C (1987) Nutrient availability as a major determinant of differences among
coastal hard-substratum communities in different regions of the tropics. In: Birkeland C (ed) Comparison between Atlantic and Pacific tropical marine coastal ecosystems: community structure, ecological processes, and productivity. UNESCO reports
in marine science, vol 46. UNESCO, Paris, pp 45-97
Birkeland C (1997) Implications for resource management. In: Birkeland C (ed) Life and
death of coral reefs. Chapman and Hall, New York, pp 411-435
Bryant D, BurkeL, McManus J, Spalding M ( 1998) Reefs at risk, a map-based indicator of
threats to the world's coral reefs. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC, p 56
Carriquiry JD, Reyes Bonilla H (1997) Community structure and geographic distribution of the coral reefs of Nayarit, Mexican Pacific. Cienc Mar 23:227-248
Coates AG, Obando JA (1996) The geologic evolution of the Central American Isthmus.
In: Jackson JBC, Budd AF, Coates AG (eds) Evolution and environment in tropical
America. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 21-56
Colgan MW ( 1990) El Nifio and the history of eastern Pacific reef building. In: Glynn PW
(ed) Global ecological consequences of the 1982-83 El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
Elsevier Oceanogr Ser 52. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 183-232