Johnson, D. P., and Risk, M. J., 1987. Fringing reef growth on
a terrigenous mud foundation, Fantome Island, central Great
Barrier Reef, Australia. Sedimentology, 34, 275–287.
Kan, H., Nakashima, Y., Hopley, D., 1997. Coral communities during structural development of a fringing reef flat, Hayman Island,
the Great Barrier Reef. Proceedings of the Eighth International
Coral Reef Symposium, Vol. 1, pp. 465–470.
Kennedy, D. M., and Woodroffe, C. D., 2002. Fringing reef growth
and morphology: a review. Earth Science Reviews, 57, 255–277.
Kleypas, J. A., Buddemeier, R. W., and Gattuso, J.-P., 2001. The
future of coral reefs in an age of global change. International
Journal of Earth Sciences, 90, 426–437.
Larcombe, P., and Carter, R. M., 2004. Cyclone pumping, sediment
partitioning and the development of the Great Barrier Reef shelf
system: a review. Quaternary Science Reviews, 23, 107–135.
Macintyre, I. G., 2007. Demise, regeneration and survival of some
Western Atlantic reefs during the Holocene Transgression. In
Aronson, R. B. (ed.). Geological Approaches to Coral Reef
Ecology. New York: Springer, pp. 181–200.
May, R. M., 1985. An overview: real and apparent patterns in community structure. In Srong, D. R. Jr., Simberloff, D., Abele,
L. G., and Thistle, A. B. (eds.), Ecological Communities. Conceptual Issues and the Evidence. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press, pp. 3–16.
McClanahan, T., Polunin, N., and Done, T., 2002. Ecological states
and the resilience of coral reefs. Conservation Ecology 6(2): 18.
[online] URL: http:/ /www.consecol.org/vol6/iss2/art18
Perry, C. T., Smithers, S. G., Palmer, S. E., Larcombe, P., and
Johnson, K. G., 2008a. 1200 year paleoecological record of coral
community development from the terrigenous inner shelf of the
Great Barrier Reef. Geology, 36, 691–694.
Perry, C. T., Spencer, T., Kench, P. S., 2008b. Carbonate budgets
and reef production states: a geomorphic perspective on the ecological phase-shift concept. Coral Reefs, 27, 853–866.
Pichon, M., 1974. Dynamics of benthic communities in the coral
reefs of Tulear (Madagascar): succession and transformation of
the biotopes through reef tract evolution. Proceedings of the Second International Coral Reef Symposium, 2, 55–68.
Roberts, J. M., Wheeler, A. J., Freiwald, A., 2006. Reefs of the
deep: the biology and geology of cold-water coral ecosystems.
Science, 312, 543–547.
Shinn, E. A., Hudson, J. H., Halley, R. B., and Lidz, B., 1977.
Topographic control and accumulation rate of some
Holocene coral reefs: South Florida and Dry Tortugas. In Proceedings of the Third International Coral Reef Symposium,
Vol. 2, pp. 1–7.
Spalding, M. D., Ravilious, C., and Green, E. P., 2001. World Atlas
of Coral Reefs. Berkeley, U.S.A: University of California Press.
Stoddart, D. R., 1969. Ecology and morphology of recent coral
reefs. Biological Reviews, 44, 433–498.
Veron, J. E. N., 2008. Mass extinctions and ocean acidification: biological constraints on geological dilemmas. Coral Reefs, 27,
459–472.
Cross-references
Accommodation Space
Bafflestone
Barrier Reef (Ribbon Reef )
Climate Change and Coral Reefs
Corals: Environmental Controls on Growth
Cold-Water Coral Reefs
Darwin, Charles (1809–1882)
East Indies Triangle of Biodiversity
Ecomorphology
Eco-Morphodynamics
Floatstone
Framestone
Fringing Reefs
Geomorphic Zonation
Hydrodynamics of Coral Reef Systems
Mid Holocene
Patch Reefs: Lidar Morphometric Analysis
Reef Classification by Fairbridge (1950)
Reef Classification by Hopley (1982)
Reef Classification by Maxwell (1968)
Reef Flats
Reef Typology
Reticulated Reefs
Rudstone
Sedimentation Stress
Tropical Cyclone/Hurricane
Turbid-Zone and Terrigenous Sediment-Influenced Reefs
CORAL REEFS OF INDIA
Krishnamoorthy Venkataraman
Marine Biology Regional Centre, Chennai, India
Definition and introduction
Coral reefs are one of the most ancient and dynamic
ecosystems of India. Coral reefs not only provide
a sanctuary to a myriad of marine life but also play a key
role in protecting the coastline from erosion. In addition,
people living along the 8,000 km long coastal stretch of
India depend on coral reefs for their livelihood
(Venkataraman and Alfred, 1998, Venkataraman, 2003).
India is centrally placed within the warm tropical region
of the Indian Ocean and exhibits extensive coral reefs in
its marine territories. In India, major coral reef ecosystems
are seen in Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kachchh, Andaman &
Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands, which embrace all the
three major reef types (atoll, fringing, and barrier) and
include diverse and extensive reef areas of the Indian
Ocean (Figure 1). Fringing reefs are found in the Gulf of
Mannar and Palk Bay. Platform reefs are present along
the Gulf of Kachchh. Patch reefs are present near
Ratnagiri, Malvan, and Kerala coasts. Fringing and barrier
reefs are found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Atoll
reefs are found in Lakshadweep. Absence of reefs in the
Bay of Bengal along the northeast coast is attributed to
the immense quantity of freshwater and silt brought by
the rivers such as Ganga, Krishna, and Godavari. The total
area of coral reefs in India is estimated to be 2,375 sq km.
The studies on the taxonomy of Indian coral reef started
as early as 1847 by Rink in Nicobar Islands, and later in
1898, Thurston worked on coral reefs in Gulf of Mannar
region. During the whole of twentieth century, many foreigners contributed to coral reef studies in India. Pillai
(1983, 1986), the first Indian worker, published many
papers on the coral diversity from all the four major coral
reefs of India followed by Venkataraman (2003, 2006),
Venkataraman and Alfred (1998), and Venkataraman
et al. (2003).
CORAL REEFS OF INDIA
267
a terrigenous mud foundation, Fantome Island, central Great
Barrier Reef, Australia. Sedimentology, 34, 275–287.
Kan, H., Nakashima, Y., Hopley, D., 1997. Coral communities during structural development of a fringing reef flat, Hayman Island,
the Great Barrier Reef. Proceedings of the Eighth International
Coral Reef Symposium, Vol. 1, pp. 465–470.
Kennedy, D. M., and Woodroffe, C. D., 2002. Fringing reef growth
and morphology: a review. Earth Science Reviews, 57, 255–277.
Kleypas, J. A., Buddemeier, R. W., and Gattuso, J.-P., 2001. The
future of coral reefs in an age of global change. International
Journal of Earth Sciences, 90, 426–437.
Larcombe, P., and Carter, R. M., 2004. Cyclone pumping, sediment
partitioning and the development of the Great Barrier Reef shelf
system: a review. Quaternary Science Reviews, 23, 107–135.
Macintyre, I. G., 2007. Demise, regeneration and survival of some
Western Atlantic reefs during the Holocene Transgression. In
Aronson, R. B. (ed.). Geological Approaches to Coral Reef
Ecology. New York: Springer, pp. 181–200.
May, R. M., 1985. An overview: real and apparent patterns in community structure. In Srong, D. R. Jr., Simberloff, D., Abele,
L. G., and Thistle, A. B. (eds.), Ecological Communities. Conceptual Issues and the Evidence. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press, pp. 3–16.
McClanahan, T., Polunin, N., and Done, T., 2002. Ecological states
and the resilience of coral reefs. Conservation Ecology 6(2): 18.
[online] URL: http:/ /www.consecol.org/vol6/iss2/art18
Perry, C. T., Smithers, S. G., Palmer, S. E., Larcombe, P., and
Johnson, K. G., 2008a. 1200 year paleoecological record of coral
community development from the terrigenous inner shelf of the
Great Barrier Reef. Geology, 36, 691–694.
Perry, C. T., Spencer, T., Kench, P. S., 2008b. Carbonate budgets
and reef production states: a geomorphic perspective on the ecological phase-shift concept. Coral Reefs, 27, 853–866.
Pichon, M., 1974. Dynamics of benthic communities in the coral
reefs of Tulear (Madagascar): succession and transformation of
the biotopes through reef tract evolution. Proceedings of the Second International Coral Reef Symposium, 2, 55–68.
Roberts, J. M., Wheeler, A. J., Freiwald, A., 2006. Reefs of the
deep: the biology and geology of cold-water coral ecosystems.
Science, 312, 543–547.
Shinn, E. A., Hudson, J. H., Halley, R. B., and Lidz, B., 1977.
Topographic control and accumulation rate of some
Holocene coral reefs: South Florida and Dry Tortugas. In Proceedings of the Third International Coral Reef Symposium,
Vol. 2, pp. 1–7.
Spalding, M. D., Ravilious, C., and Green, E. P., 2001. World Atlas
of Coral Reefs. Berkeley, U.S.A: University of California Press.
Stoddart, D. R., 1969. Ecology and morphology of recent coral
reefs. Biological Reviews, 44, 433–498.
Veron, J. E. N., 2008. Mass extinctions and ocean acidification: biological constraints on geological dilemmas. Coral Reefs, 27,
459–472.
Cross-references
Accommodation Space
Bafflestone
Barrier Reef (Ribbon Reef )
Climate Change and Coral Reefs
Corals: Environmental Controls on Growth
Cold-Water Coral Reefs
Darwin, Charles (1809–1882)
East Indies Triangle of Biodiversity
Ecomorphology
Eco-Morphodynamics
Floatstone
Framestone
Fringing Reefs
Geomorphic Zonation
Hydrodynamics of Coral Reef Systems
Mid Holocene
Patch Reefs: Lidar Morphometric Analysis
Reef Classification by Fairbridge (1950)
Reef Classification by Hopley (1982)
Reef Classification by Maxwell (1968)
Reef Flats
Reef Typology
Reticulated Reefs
Rudstone
Sedimentation Stress
Tropical Cyclone/Hurricane
Turbid-Zone and Terrigenous Sediment-Influenced Reefs
CORAL REEFS OF INDIA
Krishnamoorthy Venkataraman
Marine Biology Regional Centre, Chennai, India
Definition and introduction
Coral reefs are one of the most ancient and dynamic
ecosystems of India. Coral reefs not only provide
a sanctuary to a myriad of marine life but also play a key
role in protecting the coastline from erosion. In addition,
people living along the 8,000 km long coastal stretch of
India depend on coral reefs for their livelihood
(Venkataraman and Alfred, 1998, Venkataraman, 2003).
India is centrally placed within the warm tropical region
of the Indian Ocean and exhibits extensive coral reefs in
its marine territories. In India, major coral reef ecosystems
are seen in Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kachchh, Andaman &
Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands, which embrace all the
three major reef types (atoll, fringing, and barrier) and
include diverse and extensive reef areas of the Indian
Ocean (Figure 1). Fringing reefs are found in the Gulf of
Mannar and Palk Bay. Platform reefs are present along
the Gulf of Kachchh. Patch reefs are present near
Ratnagiri, Malvan, and Kerala coasts. Fringing and barrier
reefs are found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Atoll
reefs are found in Lakshadweep. Absence of reefs in the
Bay of Bengal along the northeast coast is attributed to
the immense quantity of freshwater and silt brought by
the rivers such as Ganga, Krishna, and Godavari. The total
area of coral reefs in India is estimated to be 2,375 sq km.
The studies on the taxonomy of Indian coral reef started
as early as 1847 by Rink in Nicobar Islands, and later in
1898, Thurston worked on coral reefs in Gulf of Mannar
region. During the whole of twentieth century, many foreigners contributed to coral reef studies in India. Pillai
(1983, 1986), the first Indian worker, published many
papers on the coral diversity from all the four major coral
reefs of India followed by Venkataraman (2003, 2006),
Venkataraman and Alfred (1998), and Venkataraman
et al. (2003).
CORAL REEFS OF INDIA
267