3月14日《科學(xué)》（Science）雜志上的一項(xiàng)新研究顯示，3000萬年以來,，加勒比海珊瑚礁的成長(zhǎng)與珊瑚的生物多元性沒有關(guān)系,，即在許多珊瑚物種已經(jīng)滅絕之后，珊瑚礁仍然在生長(zhǎng),。研究人員為了解物種多元性與生態(tài)系統(tǒng)功能之間的關(guān)系付出了許多努力,。這樣做部分出自基本了解的需要，部分是對(duì)由人類活動(dòng)而導(dǎo)致的物種持續(xù)喪失的擔(dān)心,。目前,，即使每個(gè)珊瑚礁的珊瑚物種多元化的水平具有廣泛的差異性，但世界各地珊瑚礁生長(zhǎng)的速率大體類似,。
為了給這一描述添加一個(gè)歷史的尺度,，Kenneth Johnson及其同事將加勒比海珊瑚礁新的及已經(jīng)發(fā)表的化石及地質(zhì)學(xué)數(shù)據(jù)結(jié)合起來進(jìn)行了分析。他們報(bào)告說,，珊瑚物種的高度多元化并非珊瑚礁生長(zhǎng)和持久性所必需,。文章的作者發(fā)現(xiàn)，占優(yōu)勢(shì)地位的珊瑚物種的生態(tài)學(xué)特征比單純的珊瑚物種數(shù)量更為重要。（來源：EurekAlert!中文版）
生物谷推薦原始出處:
（Science）,，Vol. 319. no. 5869, pp. 1521 - 1523,，Kenneth G. Johnson，Ann F. Budd
Caribbean Reef Development Was Independent of Coral Diversity over 28 Million Years
Kenneth G. Johnson,1* Jeremy B. C. Jackson,2,3 Ann F. Budd4
The relationship between natural variations in coral species diversity, reef development, and ecosystem function on coral reefs is poorly understood. Recent coral diversity varies 10-fold among geographic regions, but rates of reef growth are broadly similar, suggesting that diversity is unimportant for reef development. Differences in diversity may reflect regional differences in long-term biotic history in addition to environmental conditions. Using a combination of new and published fossil and stratigraphic data, we compared changes in coral diversity and reef development within the tropical western Atlantic over the past 28 million years. Reef development was unrelated to coral diversity, and the largest reef tracts formed after extinction had reduced diversity by 50%. High diversity is thus not essential for the growth and persistence of coral reefs.
1 Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
2 Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
3 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama.
4 Department of Geoscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
