Different physical and biological processes prevail at different scales^{1, 2, 3, 4}. As a consequence, small-scale experiments or local observations provide limited insights into regional or global phenomena^{5, 6, 7, 8}. One solution is to incorporate spatial scale explicitly into the experimental and sampling design of field studies, to provide a broader, landscape view of ecology^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}. Here we examine spatial patterns in corals on the Great Barrier Reef, across a spectrum of scales ranging from metres to more than 1,700 km. Our study is unusual because we explore large-scale patterns of a process (recruitment by juveniles) as well as patterns of adult abundance, revealing the relationship between the two. We show that coral-reef assemblages that are similar in terms of abundance may nonetheless show profound differences in dynamics and turnover, with major implications for their ecology, evolution and management.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Environmental Sciences
Research Group:	Pollution and contamination
Research Field:	Pollution and contamination not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:	Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
UTAS Author:	Moltschaniwskyj, NA (Associate Professor Natalie Moltschaniwskyj)
ID Code:	103666
Year Published:	1999
Web of Science® Times Cited:	265
Deposited By:	NC Marine Conservation and Resource Sustainability
Deposited On:	2015-10-23
Last Modified:	2015-11-17
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