300129 VO Ecology of Coral Reefs in the Anthropocene (2023W)

This series of lectures aims at bringing insight into the current status of conservation of coral reefs, the main threats posed by the climate crisis and the prospects for coral adaptation and coral reef resilience into the 21st century. Lectures will have a strong focus on classic knowledge on coral reef ecology and ecophysiology, as well as on current research topics in the coral reef literature that look towards the future and interrogate on the possibilities for coral adaptation and for maintaining coral reef resilience worldwide. Contents will include the biology and physiology of corals and the processes involved in building reefs; the life history of sessile modular organisms, reproductive strategies of corals, algal symbiosis and the evolutionary biology of corals; an introduction to coral systematics and coral taxonomy; the functional morphology and physiology of corals in the context of current impacts to corals reefs, particularly bleaching and disease; coral reef resilience and adaptation to a rapidly changing climate; and reef restoration approaches and efforts, as well as assisted coral evolution programs, their applicability and ethics. Some lectures may take place at the Natural History Museum Vienna in conjunction to a visit to the coral collection of the museum.