Philosophy

"Never stop asking questions"
Einstein

"Knowledge is worth nothing unless it is shared"

 Since diving the reefs at Discovery Bay Jamaica in 1975, reefs and their ecology held a fascination for me. The inspiration received during that dive trip provided inspiration for my Ph.D. studies on Devonian reefs from northern Michigan. How important biologic interactions are in reef dynamics became even more apparent with that study. My passion for coral reef ecology persisted through the years and added immeasurably to my diving enjoyment. It also led me to draw some interesting relationships between reef dynamics and people dynamics. The relationships that exist are endless. Some of my insights can be found on the S.P.A.R.E. (Society Protecting Anthony's Reef Environment) and Presentation page links.

But just to give you an idea, consider the architectural design of buildings in a city and think about the development of coral skeletons and reef zones. It really comes down to optimizing for basic needs. As corals are sedentary animals with symbiotic algae they must satisfy their needs for food, getting rid of waste, and living in suitable environment. A suitable environment is one where they have room to grow, can attach themselves to keep from being overturned during rough periods, being in shallow water for optimal light penetration, proximal to currents that can supply oxygen, food, clear away waste and facilitate in reproduction. That is a lot to ask for, but reef settings are places which are optimal. Other than patch reefs as a generalization, reef environments face the open ocean, thus corals living there are first in line for nurturing currents for respiration, excretion and reproductive needs. In un crowded shallow areas, corals have rocky substrates on which to attach themselves, can grow without impendence, and need not make do anything special for gaining access to light. Massive coral colonies are quite common here. Change some of the parameters and the same corals take on a different morphology. Light attenuation at depth fosters skeletal growth plans that maximize the surface area to incident light. Hence corals growing in deeper water reef settings have skeletons that are flattened, arranged in shingled fashion and surfaces exposed to incident sunlight (kind of like solar panes).

In places where the substrate is crowded, corals have adapted to take advantage of space above the reef surface. Like skyscrapers in a city where real estate is in short supply, corals grow up and spread out into the overhead canopy. The growth is often directional too, so that the corals point into current and prevailing wave action. Structures in cites have designs that try to take advantage of incident sun and vistas too. That is why there are back and front sides to many apartment complexes. The front side faces the most appealing views and prior to air conditioning, the direction of prevailing breezes. I could elaborate endlessly on this but I think you have the idea. Think about the requisites or desirable features in how you live your own life and you can probably find parallels in reefs. This is what makes it so much fun. Check out the other links I mentioned for more insights into the ecology of reefs.

Rio de Janeiro structures line the coast with the best view and access to beach space

Dentists offer just one of many services found in a community.

Sports games reflect friendly competition between rival factions. Typically there is a winner and a looser

Fish cleaning stations are one of the more evident services available on reefs

Coral competition for living space is generally less friendly. Its outcome also typically has a winner and looser

Strategies are important for reef dwellers too. Even as long ago as the Devonian (350 million years ago) some reef dwellers such as Rugos corals pumped out lots of offspring to improve the chance of survival.