Diversity and drivers of coral reef cryptofauna communities

Thesis

Tropical coral reefs are exceptionally biodiverse ecosystems, and many species within reefs remain undiscovered, undescribed or under-studied. This is especially true of organisms living hidden within the cavities and crevices of the reef matrix, the cryptofauna. Cryptofauna, and the cryptobenthic communities they form, make up a significant portion of animal diversity within coral reefs and play functional roles vital for reef productivity and trophodynamics. Globally, coral reefs are exp...

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Authors: Steyaert, M

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-4rjxrrja9
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: autonomous reef monitoring structures; cryptobiome; visual census; metabarcoding; coral reefs; image analysis; environmental DNA; biodiversity
• Subjects: Benthos; Coastal biodiversity; Marine benthic ecology; Marine biology--Research; Islands of the Indian Ocean; Coral reef ecology