“Coral Dominance”: A Dangerous Ecosystem Misnomer?

Figure 1

Average island-wide percent cover of scleractinian corals on islands under U.S. jurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean. Many of these reefs are considered to be among the least impacted tropical marine ecosystems in existence, yet average coral cover rarely exceeds 30% and is <18% at the majority of islands monitored. Percent cover data were collected via CRED towed-diver surveys [38] from 2000 through 2009 Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program research expeditions. Figure credit: Tomoko Acoba.