Abstract
A central goal of coral-reef ecology is to define the key ecological processes that regulate reef populations under a rapidly changing environment. There is considerable need to move away from simply tracking reef state, and move toward more process orientated studies. Differential recruitment, growth, partial mortality, and mortality of corals are fundamental processes that need spatial evaluation using hierarchical sampling. Major changes to any one process will alter the state of the reef. Understanding these key processes, assessing their spatial variation and their relationship with state variables, such as coral cover, will lead to predictive models of population trajectories under different climate change scenarios. Predictions may even guide critical resource allocation to increase coral-reef management efforts at localities that are most likely to persevere in the prolonged struggle against unfavorable conditions.
