1. Holocene Coral-Reef Development, SW Dominican Republic:
Views Forward and Backward Through Time
Dennis Hubbard,Dept. of Geology - Oberlin College
Sedimentation has a strong control on coral shape, which can be used as a proxy to relative sedimentation stress.
Top left: Increasing sedimentation causes a progressive shift from hemispherical coral colonies (left) to conical forms (center) and eventually columnar shapes (right). This is a response to reduced ability for the colony to builds laterally.
Bottom left: Examples of domal, conical and columnar coral colonies.
Right:Intermittent sedimentation results in multiple episodes of colony compromise and regeneration.
Colony shape also dramatically impacts on the degree of bioerosion. Conical colonies are more altered, regardless of species.