Abstract: The molecular revolution has put the old morphological taxonomy of the Scleractinia to the sword. Recent molecular work reveals that almost none of the 27 morphological families were monophyletic, indeed, few of the 235 morphological genera have survived the upheaval intact. The implications of this revolution are profound with the potential to radically alter our understanding of reef coral community ecology, biogeography and evolution. Yet too few coral reef scientists have heard the revolutionary cry that “Morphology does not capture phylogeny” or considered the implications for their respective disciplines. The aim of this talk is to convince you that it is time to listen and encourage you to join this revolutionary endeavor. A workable phylogeny, the ready availability of an extensive catalogue of reef coral traits and biogeographical distributions mean that these are the best of times to be a reef coral ecologist.

Bio: Andrew is a postdoctoral fellow in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and has been searching for a decent revolution all his adult life