Widespread loss of Caribbean acroporid corals was underway before coral bleaching and disease outbreaks

@latimeralder But it's not just the Great Barrier Reef that is declining. Cramer et al show the serious decline in coral cover in the Caribbean: https://t.co/b4AERUSWI4 (5/n) https://t.co/PVmw5EzXxW

Remnant stands of Acropora palmata like this one at Limones Reef in Cancun, Mexico gives key insight into how Caribbean coral reefs functioned prior to the onset of human disturbance and region-wide losses of Acroporid corals in the 1960's and beyond h…

Happy #NationalFossilDay! Did you know that declines in the once dominant Acroporid corals began in the mid-1900's? A recent study using evidence from the #fossil, historic, & ecological record sheds light on the timeline & early causes of …

RT @fishymary: Our new paper out today reveals early declines in Acorpora due to local human impacts, decades before bleaching & disease. W…