TY - JOUR
AU - Bellwood, David R.
AB - INTRODUCTIONCoral reef ecosystems are exceptional in their ability to create broadscale (10 s–100 s of km) biogenic structures and their own substratum. Coral reefs represent the ultimate expression of an interaction between the biology of organisms and their environment (Smith & Buddemeier, 1992). Their morphology and configuration, including shape and size, reflect the relationship between biological activity and biogeographical history, as well as physical hydrodynamic drivers. While coral reefs are incredibly diverse systems globally, they share basic, fundamental, habitat structures and zonation patterns (Goreau et al., 1979). Thus, all coral reefs can be broadly divided into distinct omnipresent habitat zones, including the reef slope, crest, and flat, each with its own distinct community composition and structure (Bellwood et al., 2018; Chappell, 1980; Done, 1983; Goreau, 1959; Stoddart, 1969). The relative size of these habitat zones can vary, and this variation can help to characterize different coral reef systems around the globe (Adey, 1978; Done, 1983; Dullo, 2005).Reef flats are arguably the most conspicuous of all shallow water reef zones (Bellwood et al., 2018; Yamano et al., 2001). They are defined by coral reef growth having reached modern sea level (Thornborough & Davies, 2011) and are often the largest zone of a coral reef by area (Bellwood et al., 2018). Due to their 
TI - The global biogeography of reef morphology
JO - Global Ecology and Biogeography
DO - 10.1111/geb.13699
DA - 2023-08-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/the-global-biogeography-of-reef-morphology-IOc12WHCoc
SP - 1353
EP - 1364
VL - 32
IS - 8
DP - DeepDyve
ER -