Restoration
Judith McDowell
INTRODUCTION
We will now shift gears slightly from discussions of bioremediation to more general ecological concerns. Over the past decade, we have seen a marriage of ecology and molecular biology with the hope of better understanding the mechanisms that control the diversity and composition of ecosystems. This combination has resulted in some very insightful ways to look at ecosystems, and the title of this session is restoration. By understanding these mechanisms we will be able to begin to restore damaged ecosystems.
In this section, titled “Restoration,” the three speakers will talk about coral reef habitats. Coral reefs are some of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on the earth. They are threatened throughout the world by anthropogenic activities such as shipping traffic, anchor damage, oil spills, and nutrient runoff; and natural processes such as disease, global climate variations, hurricanes, and other storm events. The speakers will introduce you to various aspects of coral reefs and the processes that control coral reefs.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA
