State of corals and coral reefs of the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador): Past, present and future.

Coral populations and structural coral reefs have undergone severe reductions and losses respectively over large parts of the Galápagos Islands during and following the 1982-83 El Niño event. Coral tissue loss amounted to 95% across the Archipelago. Also at that time, all coral reefs in the central and southern islands disappeared following severe degradation and eventual collapse due primarily to intense bioerosion and low recruitment.

Coral Reef Recovery on Guam (Micronesia) After Catastrophic Predation by Acanthaster Planci.

At Tanguisson Reef, Guam, in 1968-1969 a population explosion of the coral-eating sea star Acanthaster planci devastated the coral community. In the wake of this predation, coral species richness, density, and cover were drastically reduced, and the species composition was altered. In two of three reef zones examined, < 1% coral cover remained.