The offspring of most reef organisms live for a short time in the surface layer of the ocean, where they can be transported from reef to reef by ocean currents. This photo shows a coral spawning "slick": an aggregation of coral larvae just after a mass spawning event. The research by Salomon and colleagues shows that the pattern of dispersal that emerges from this process has important implications for sustaining biodiversity. (Photo courtesy of Bette Willis).

Coral reefs sustain more biodiversity than any other ecosystem in the world's oceans. One of the most fundamental problems in the study of ecological systems is understanding how such high levels of biodiversity are maintained -- an understanding that is essential for the management and conservation of biodiversity and the goods and services it provides.(Photo courtesy of Andrew Baird).

Coral reefs sustain more biodiversity than any other ecosystem in the world's oceans. One of the most fundamental problems in the study of ecological systems is understanding how such high levels of biodiversity are maintained -- an understanding that is essential for the management and conservation of biodiversity and the goods and services it provides. (Photo courtesy of Mia Hoogenboom)