DE Publishing - The RBSC Series
Reef Building Stony Corals
A review of research papers.
New Fourth Edition Available Now!
Take all the guess work out of reproducing natural reef habitats !
DE Publishing announces the new Fourth Edition of volume 1 of the RBSC Series. The title of the book is "Reef Building Stony Corals -The Natural Physical Environment". This is the first book written by Steve Tyree and its main topic concerns the natural physical environment that Reef Building Stony Corals experience in nature. Areas covered include "The Ocean Environment", "The Reef Environment", "Stony Coral Provinces and Regions", "The Natural Light Environment", "Ocean, Reef and Coral Water Motion" and "Natural Propagation". The cover has a color photograph while the main book consists of black and white text with numerous figures and tables. There is 150,000 words, 112 figures, 40 tables and 419 pages. Price now just $30 US (California residents add 7.75 % Sales Tax). Order via Paypal payment services below or use the order form menu button.
The Third Edition added over 30 more Coral Reef maps. The new Fourth Edition includes the latest information on coral pigmentation. There have been two new papers published describing and defining some new classes of reef building stony coral pigmentation. New information on the importance of specific wavelengths of light and coral pigments is now included. The soft cover of this book was also drastically improved. We now have a thick glossy cover that helps protect the books pages. Below are a few paragraphs extracted from the introduction that help define this book.
"Reef Building Stony Corals are one of natures incredible creations. The corals themselves are composed of a colony of soft polyp shaped animals that secrete a hard calcium based crystalline structure around them. Colonies containing hundreds and thousands of these polyps form the primary framework for massive underwater reefs. These reef structures provide homes for an immense diversity of ocean life. Many of the stony coral species also possess the ability to reflect and fluoresce light into a rainbow of colors. This intense coloration and rigid crystalline form can give the coral an appearance of a living jewel or living gem."
"This review of natural based research papers concerning Reef Building Stony Corals is the first volume of an R B S C series that I will personally author and self-publish. The R B S C series contains reviews of the current scientific knowledge concerning these corals and presents the data in an easy to understand format. The main subject for volume 1 is the Natural Physical Environment that these corals experience. This includes the ocean environment itself, water currents, illumination, the physical reef environment, the geographical distribution of stony corals and the asexual propagation of corals due to natural physical factors. My writing style for this series will be geared toward early college levels, but college level math will not be required to read this material. My primary task in constructing the R B S C series, is to dig into the leading edge scientific data and attempt to explain the current theories and knowledge in a manner that makes it accessible to more readers. Specifical those who lack calculus skills and do not frequent academic libraries. This particular series on Reef Building Stony Corals concentrates on the physical environment and spends very little time on the biology of corals or other organisms. Future volumes will primarily focus on certain aspects of biological habitats and biological organisms. I am also writing a manuscript for an established publishing company that should not be confused with this self-published R B S C series."
"This first volume is constructed in a manner that will appeal to a broad group of readers. These readers include captive coral aquarist, professional aquarist, scientist, biologist, naturalist, environmentalist, divers, ocean enthusiast and even people new to these ocean lifeforms and habitats. In the following paragraphs I will highlight what specific types of readers might expect from this volume. To begin with, you wont be reading any politically motivated statements. At the time of writing this series I view myself as apolitical. Even though this first volume describes the physical environments that Reef Building Stony Coral inhabit, many other organisms that interact with the corals are discussed. The physical factors described, also affect other types of organisms that inhabit these environments. Chapters on lighting and water current contain data that is relevant to all shallow water organisms."
TABLE OF CONTENTS (sub-sections are not shown)
Introduction
Chapter 1 - The Ocean Environment
Introduction
The Oceans of the World
Life Forms in the Ocean
Types of Stony Corals
Coral Communities and Geographic Distribution
Chapter 2 - The Reef Environment
Introduction
How Coral Communities and Reefs Develop
Major Reef Types
Minor Reef Types
Unusual Reef Types
Modern Barrier Reef Types
Coral Reef Sedimentation
Coral Reef Islands
Coral Reef Habitats and Zones
Biologically and Environmentally Defined Zones
The Importance of Algae
Chapter 3 - Stony Coral Provinces and Regions
Introduction
Pacific Province
Indo-Pacific Province
Indian Ocean Province
Atlantic Province
Chapter 4 - The Natural Light Environment
Introduction
The Physical Properties of Light
The Absorption of Light in Earth's Atmosphere
Light at the Air and Sea Interface
Optical Properties of Seawater
Underwater Light Measurements
The Biological Capturing of Light
The Biological Conversion of Light to Energy
Introduction to Coral Pigmentation
Chapter 5 - Ocean, Reef and Coral Water Motion
Introduction
Wave Generated Currents
Tidal Water Movements
The Affects of Water Motion on Bottom Organisms
Regional Oceanic Flows
Reef Water Flows
Coral Colony Water Motion
Techniques to Analyze Water Motion
Water Current Disturbances and Diversity
The Reynolds Number
Boundary Layer Environments of Bottom Structures
Chapter 6 - Natural Propagation
Introduction
Methods of Natural Propagation
Fragmentation in Nature
Examples of Natural Fragmentation and Asexual Propagation
Advantages of Fragmentation and Asexual Propagation
Have Some Corals Adapted to Fragmentation ?
Using Fragmentation to Repair Natural Reefs
Epilogue
Biomedical Potential for Natural Marine Chemicals
The New Science of Biomimicry
Followups to this Volume
What Hobbyist and Professional Aquarist can expect
"The first group of readers I would like to address are the hobbyist and professional aquarist that keep these corals in captive microcosms. Hobbyist and professional aquarist may be surprised to discover that this volume is primarily focused on the natural environment. They might be expecting something more tailored toward captive coral keeping. The recent trend in the captive based market to more natural based microcosms has created a need for the modern hobbyist to learn as much as possible about the natural environment. This information will also be important if you intend to duplicate a specific naturally located habitat. In my dealing with hobbyist and professional aquarist over the years, I have seen some common problems develop that were eventually avoided or solved by knowing more about the natural characteristics of habitats and organisms. Many of the systems I have seen had currents that were too weak and laminar. There is an entire chapter in this volume concerning natural water currents. Many captive light systems had incorrect intensity or lacked spectral quality. You will find another entire chapter devoted to natural lighting. While giving lectures and audio/visual presentations to reefkeeping clubs around North America, I have been surprised to find out what happens when the average inspired aquarist is challenged with specific problems. When these challenges are combined with the best current information or knowledge available, many problems related to captive maintenance have been solved. In early 1995, I gave a presentation to the SCMAS (Southern California Marine Aquarium Society) where I talked about how the methods we utilized for producing water currents in captive systems were lacking. My presentation described how we needed stronger and more dynamic flows. These beliefs were based on observations concerning the behavior of corals in captive environments. The presentation actually helped inspire one of the attendees to design a rotating pump assembly that was the first of its kind (The AquaGate I). Later that year I gave a presentation at MACNA VII (Marine Aquarium Society of North America). Within that 2 hour presentation I noted how corals in captivity seemed to suffer from our non-moving light sources. These observations were based on how corals would photoadapt to captive situations. This actually inspired one of the attendees to develop a rotating microcosm for which he recently received a patent (The Aquatic Revolution TM). Obtaining this review composed of hard data describing the actual natural environment, may help inspire many other captive reef maintainers to solve those captive problems. One can only imagine what types of microcosms there will be in the future as more is discovered about these magnificent creatures and their habitats."
What Scientist and Biologist can expect
"The second group of readers I would like to address are the scientist and biologist that might happen to pick up this volume. They will discover a review or summary of what is known about the natural physical environment of Reef Building Stony Corals. It should be noted that the author lacks credentials in the scientific community. What the author does possess is a desire to discover as much as possible about these corals. My initial research trips to the academic UCLA Biomedical Library were inspired by witnessing a Trachyphyllia geoffroyi coral spawn in one of my captive systems. It was quite an amazing site as 10 to 15 polyps mouths all shot up simultaneous geyser-like spawns of eggs. My academic research trips attempted to discover information concerning coral spawning, since almost none was found in the hobbyist literature. I did eventually find some scientific articles but found that scientific discovery concerning this topic was in its early phases. In total, I have spent over a thousand hours just researching academic literature. The present library I conduct research at is Scripps Institution of Oceanography Library. Reading the available scientific literature has lead me to believe that an all encompassing introductory work on the natural physical environment of these corals is needed. There has been a lot of very good research done but it is scattered across many different scientific disciplines. This volume is intended to be an inter-disciplinary summary of current data on physical environments. Heavy math was avoided to meet the introductory college level and mathematical relationships are expressed within the English language. I recommend using this volume as an introductory look into the physical oceanic environment of Reef Building Stony Corals. Future volumes in the series will cover the Biology, Health and Development of these corals and many complex biological areas will be explored. If any errors are found in this series I would appreciate having them reported to the Dynamic Ecomorphology Web Site or sent via mail to the publishers address."
What Naturalist and Environmentalist can expect
"The third group of potential readers I would like to address are naturalist and environmentalist. It is true that my primary background concerns maintaining these animals in captivity. I hope that the naturalist or environmentalist that might happen to pick up this volume, does not hold that against me. My fascination for these animals has been developed while observing them upclose for extended periods of time in captive microcosms. Many of these observations could have only been possible in captive environmental settings. The naturalist or environmentalist will find this volume to contain a wealth of information that strictly concerns the natural physical environment that these corals experience in nature. I hope to follow this work with examinations of the biology of these corals and the interactions they have with nearby organisms. Many of the biological aspects are still unknown but scientific research is accelerating. Readers of this volume will find that Chapter 6 'Natural Propagation' includes a section on using fragmentation to repair natural reefs. I personally feel that as long as it exists, the natural habitat should take precedence over any temporary or long term captive habitat. We may find though that the temporary or complete loss of a natural habitat is inevitable for some species on the planet. It is in the spirit of cooperation that I have decided to construct a series of research reviews based strictly on the natural environment. Many environmentally concerned individuals and conservationists spend time repairing and restoring natural habitats. Hopefully this summary of scientific research concerning the repair and restoration of reef frameworks can be useful."
What Divers and Ocean Enthusiasts can expect
"The fourth group of readers I would like to address are divers and ocean enthusiasts. First, I would like to inform these types of readers that I have never personally explored any of the major reefs of the world in person. This is simply due to the fact that I have not had the time or opportunity to do this type of exploration. As chapter three helps to illustrate, there are so many different stony coral locations on the planet (thousands of reefs in the Great Barrier Reef Complex alone) that surveying them all would take more than a lifetime. There is also the possibility of observational bias. For example, coral researchers diving Pacific locations have all thought that large reef platforms did not occur in the Caribbean. We now know that some large platforms with extensive and luxuriant growth do occur. In addition to this, many people who have only dived the Caribbean have no idea of what a reef dominated by Acropora tables looks like. I once had a friendly argument via computer email with an "occasional" ocean diving enthusiast who claimed that Acropora were all colored brown. After reading her message, I turned around and looked at a captive microcosm full of some of the most colorful living organisms I had ever seen. Yes, they were Acropora. After asking a few questions, it turned out that the ocean explorer I was arguing with had never even been to the Indo-Pacific where these corals dominant and can proliferate in a rainbow of colors. Her diving was limited to the Atlantic Ocean where only a few species of non-colored acropora are found and the Mediterranean where they simply do not occur. Utilizing my potentially "unbiased" perspective I have read many scientific reports that were performed in numerous locations around the world. These reports contained information from hundreds of thousands of dives performed at thousands of locations. At any rate, I hope to be able to personally explore at least a few of these areas in the future. Divers and ocean enthusiasts reading this volume will find chapter 2 to be very informative. Have you ever wondered what a motu is ? Or just what the heck are hoa? These terms as well as many unusual reef forms are described in chapter 2. You might also find chapter 3 to be very interesting. I have utilized a report compiled in part by the United Nations Environmental Program to be able to define and describe all the geographical regions on the planet where corals and coral reefs are located."
What Introductory Readers can expect
"The fifth group of readers I would like to address are those that are new to the ocean and its coral reefs. One might think that a series about Reef Building Stony Corals could have a rather narrow focus that might not appeal to those interested in oceans or ocean life in general. Since this first volume is about the natural environments these corals inhabit, a lot of the information is also important to other ocean organisms. The functions of some of these organisms are described as well as how they interrelate to stony corals or ecosystems they inhabit. Readers new to the ocean and its corals will find chapter 1 to be very informative. The 'Oceans of the World' and 'Life Forms in the Ocean' sections will bring readers new to the ocean and its life forms quickly up to speed. Chapters 2 and 3 describe reefs in detail and inform the reader as to how corals and reefs are geographically scattered around the planet. While chapters 4 and 5 contain some introductory information, they also explore some complex and detailed subjects concerning light and water current. In general, the sections of these two chapters get progressively more advanced and complex. The propagation of corals by asexual methods is discussed in chapter 6. While that topic is a little in depth, there are some interesting pieces of information contained within the chapter. It should be noted that introductory readers might find the use of scientific names to be confusing. Unfortunately, many of the animals discussed in this series do not have common names. This volume is also intended for a world wide market that may not understand any common names I might use or invent. There are quite a few commercial publications available that describe stony coral species. I would highly recommend 'Corals of Australia and The Indo Pacific' by Veron, the 'Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide' by Allen and Steene or 'Tropical Pacific Invertebrates' by Colin and Arneson."
