Coral Reefs and Conservation Biology papers – Juan A. Sánchez

Due to recent environmental changes, coral reefs are facing a number of new environmental stressors, which may end up in billionaire deficits and unprecedented losses of diversity and productivity in the Ocean in just a matter of decades. Global warming, high irradiance, runoff, and habitat destruction are among the threats that coral diversity withstands in shallow waters today leading to emergent phenomena such as coral bleaching and diseases (see photos). Despite some natural means of acclimatization, and probably adaptation, some branching reef-building corals seem to be greatly affected by this phenomenon, and are reportedly less able to recover after bleaching events compared to slow-growing massive corals. The study of branching in nature cannot ignore these phenomena, which is one of my current research interests. Unfortunately, there is much yet to do from multiple levels of analysis in order to understand the responses of corals to environmental change.

SÁNCHEZ J.A., M.F. GIL, L.H. CHASQUI & E.M. ALVARADO. 2004. Grazing dynamics on a Caribbean reef-building coral. Coral Reefs (in press)-manuscript-preprint.

SÁNCHEZ J.A. , V. PIZARRO, A. R. ACOSTA, P. A. CASTILLO, P. HERRON, J. C. MARTÍNEZ, P. MONTOYA & C. OROZCO. 2004. Evaluating Coral Reef benthic Communities from remote Caribbean Atolls (Quitasueño, Serrana, and Roncador Banks, Colombia): multivariate approaches to recommend Marine Protected Areas for the SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve (Archipelago of San Andres and Providencia). Atoll Research Bulletin (in press)-manuscript-preprint

FRIEDLANDER A., SLADEK-NOWLIS J., SANCHEZ J. A., APPELDOORN R., USSEGLIO P., MCCORMICK C., BEJARANO S., AND MITCHELL-CHUI A. 2003. Designing Effective Marine Protected Areas in Old Providence and Santa Catalina Islands, San Andrés Archipelago, Colombia, Using Biological and Sociological Information. Conservation Biology 17(6): 1769-1784.

LASKER H.R., M. L. BOLLER, J. CASTANARO & SÁNCHEZ J.A. 2003. Modularity and determinate growth in a gorgonian coral. The Biological Bulletin 205: 319-330.

LASKER H.R. & SÁNCHEZ J.A. 2002. Allometry and Astogeny of modular organisms. pp. 207-253. In: R.N. Hughes (ed.), Reproductive Biology of Invertebrates. Vol. XI. Progress in Asexual Reproduction. John Wiley, New York.

LASKER H.R. & SÁNCHEZ J.A. 2001. Octocorals: growth in two and three dimensions. In: J. Kaandorp & J. Klueber (eds.) The Algorithmic Beauty of Seaweeds, Sponges and Corals. Springer-Verlag, Amsterdam. cover

DIAZ JM., DIAZ-PULIDO G. & SÁNCHEZ J.A. 2000. Distribution and structure of the southernmost Caribbean coral reefs: Golfo de Urabá, Colombia. Scientia Marina. 64(3): 327-336.

SÁNCHEZ J.A. 1999. Black coral-octocoral distribution patterns on a deep-water reef, Imelda bank, Caribbean sea, Colombia. Bulletin of Marine Science. 65(1): 215-225.

SÁNCHEZ J.A., E.M. ALVARADO, M.F. GIL, O. ARENAS, H. CHARRY, L.H. CHASQUI & R.P. GARCIA. 1999. Synchronous mass spawning of Montastraea annularis (Ellis & Solander) and M. faveolata (Ellis & Solander) (Faviidae: Scleractinia) at Rosario islands, Caribbean coast of Colombia. Bulletin of Marine Science. 65(3): 873-879.

SÁNCHEZ J.A., J.M. DIAZ &. S. ZEA. 1998. Octocoral and black coral distribution patterns on the barrier reef-complex of Providencia island, Southwestern Caribbean. Caribbean Journal of Science. 34 (3-4): 250-264.

SÁNCHEZ J.A., S. ZEA &. J.M. DIAZ. 1997. Gorgonian communities of two contrasting environments from oceanic Caribbean atolls. Bulletin of Marine Science. 61(2): 61-72.

DIAZ, J.M., SÁNCHEZ J.A. & J. GEISTER. 1997. Development of Lagoonal reefs in oceanic complexes of the Southwestern Caribbean: geomorphology, structure and distribution. Proceedings of the VIII International Coral Reef Symposium, Panama 1: 779-784.

OPRESKO D.M. & J.A. SÁNCHEZ 1997. A new species of antipatharian coral (Antipatharia: Cnidaria) from the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Caribbean Journal of Science 33 (1-2):75-81.

DIAZ, J.M., SÁNCHEZ J.A., J. GARZON-FERREIRA & S. ZEA. 1996. Morphology and marine habitats from two southwestern Caribbean atolls: Albuquerque and Courtown. Atoll Research Bulletin 435: 1-33.

DIAZ, J.M., SÁNCHEZ J.A.& G. DIAZ. 1996. Morfología y formaciones coralinas recientes de Isla Fuerte y Bajo Bushnell, plataforma continental del Caribe colombiano. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. 25: 87-105.

DIAZ, J.M., G. DIAZ, J. GARZON-FERREIRA, J. GEISTER, SÁNCHEZ J.A. & S. ZEA. 1996. Atlas de los arrecifes coralinos del Caribe colombiano. I. Archipiélago de San Andrés y Providencia. Publicaciones Especiales del INVEMAR 75p.

SÁNCHEZ J.A. 1995. Benthic communities and geomorphology of the Tesoro Island reefs, Colombian Caribbean. Anales del Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas de Punta Betín.24: 55-77.

SÁNCHEZ J.A. & G.R. NAVAS. 1994. Notes on the distribution, habitat and morphology of Stylaster roseus (Stylasterina: Hidrozoa) at the Colombian Caribbean. Anales del Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas de Punta Betín 23: 193-197.

- In preparation or submitted

SÁNCHEZ J.A. , V. PIZARRO, A. R. ACOSTA, P. A. CASTILLO, P. HERRON, J. C. MARTÍNEZ, P. MONTOYA & C. OROZCO. (submitted to Marine Ecology-Progress Series) Extensive and lethal white plague-like disease outbreak in a remote Caribbean Atoll: Serrana Bank, Archipelago of San Andres and Providencia, Colombia. manuscript

DÍAZ-PULIDO G., SÁNCHEZ J. A., SVEN ZEA, J. M. DÍAZ & J. GARZÓN-FERREIRA. (submitted to: Revista de la Academia de Ciencias-Colombia). Esquemas de distribución espacial en la comunidad bentónica de arrecifes coralinos continentales y oceánicos del caribe colombiano. manuscript

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