Coral Reef Studies of Japan

This book comprehensively introduces recent important studies on coral reefs from various research fields including biology, ecology, chemistry, the earth sciences, and conservation studies. Coral reef is one of the important ecosystems characterized by high biodiversity and the beauty. Coral reefs around Japan are located at the northern limit, composed by mainly fringing reefs along archipelago, and easily impacted by human activities. Thus, coral reef studies around Japan have provided important knowledge on basic sciences and conservation studies regarding coral reef ecosystem. This book would contribute to systematic understanding of vulnerable coral reef ecosystems due to human activities in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean regions. The conservation efforts provide good reference to graduate and undergraduate students, and researchers in marine sciences, as well as those who are involved in coral reef studies.

Preface.- 1. Introduction for this book –general aspects of coral reefs of Japan and related studies–.- 2. Dissolved organic matter in coral reefs: distribution, production, and bacterial consumption.- 3. Studies on stress responses of corals in Japan.- 4. Coral disease in Japan.- 5. Ocean acidification studies in coral reefs of Japan.- 6. Frontiers of coral-based sclerochronological studies in Japan.- 7. Coral reproduction in Japan.- 8. Population genetics of corals in Japan.- 9. Distribution expansion and historical population outbreak patterns of crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci sensu lato, in Japan from 1912 to 2015.- 10. Studies on mesophotic coral ecosystems in Japan.- 11. The hydrodynamic impacts of tropical cyclones to coral reefs in Japan: current status and future perspectives.- 12. Concluding remarks: Future perspectives on coral reef studies of Japan –from biology, earth science, and conservation and restoration.