Article: Succession and diversity in the Pleistocene coral reefs of the Kenya coast

Many of the faunal changes that occur in vertical sections through the late Pleistocene coral reefs of the Kenya coast can be interpreted within the context of ecological succession. A number of instances of one set of species 'preparing the ground' for the next were found but these are all restricted to the earliest stages of primary successions. Clearly defined vertical zones are rare and much of the succession on established reefs appears to have been rather random and unstructured. However, this is precisely what some modern theories predict.Some pattern is provided to early succession by a series of competitive replacements that typically result in domination by faster-growing branching and platy-encrusting species, especially acroporids. Longer-term trends are more cryptic, but there is some evidence to suggest that branching assemblages may eventually be replaced by assemblages of large doming-massive corals.Diversity is largely controlled by localized environmental disturbances which promote the establishment of either mixed or monospecific coral stands. In a few instances diversity increases continually through succession, and it would appear that 'equilibrium' coral assemblages can be built up within a comparatively short period of reef growth.