| Session Details | |
| Section | OS - Ocean Sciences |
| Session Title | Biogeochemistry Of Coral Reef Ecosystem Under Global Change |
| Main Convener | Prof. Tuo Shi (Xiamen University, China) |
| Co-convener(s) | Prof. Senjie Lin (Xiamen University, China) |
| Session Description | Coral reefs represent the most diverse, resource-abundant, and yet the most vulnerable marine ecosystem on Earth. The coral reef ecosystem has been adversely affected by global warming and ocean acidification mainly due to anthropogenic activities. Understanding the impact of global climate change on the structure and function of coral reef ecosystem is, therefore, of crucial importance for environment and resource management. Despite progress in research on coral or algal responses corresponding to environmental perturbation, not much effort has been made for systematic and integrated investigation of the coral-algal holobiont and/or the coral reef ecosystem as a whole. This insufficiency is impeding our precise assessment and prediction of the impact of global change on coral reef ecosystem. This session will cover a wide range of studies to address the coral reef ecosystem under global change with broader themes and larger scales. The scope of the discussion may include, but is not limited to: 1) Community structure and physiological functionality of coral reef system; 2) Species, genetic, and functional diversity of corals and their symbiotic zooxanthellae; 3) Biogeochemical processes of key nutrient cycles and their ecological implications; 4) Molecular basis of coral-Symbiodinium selectivity, phenotypic plasticity, and adaptive co-evolution in response to environmental changes. All in all, this session is expected to provide multi-dimension insight into the interplay between biological diversity and physiological plasticity of coral reef ecosystem and its ecological resilience to environmental changes, and to seek scientific basis for sustainable coral reef ecosystem conservation and restoration. |