. Cold-water Coral Reefs: out of sight - no longer out of mind. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 22. Cold-water coral reefs. Figure U: Bioerosion, a major destructive process in the degradation of cold-water coral reefs: |A) External view of a bioeroded Lophelia sl<eleton with circular apertures of boring sponges (black arrow) and comma-shaped apertures of boring bryozoans (white arrow). (B) Broken Lophelia skeleton showing the boring sponge cavities. (C) SEM image of a resin cast of L. pertusa containing a boring fungi consortium. (D) SEM image of a resin-casted boring bryozoan that produces
. Cold-water Coral Reefs: out of sight - no longer out of mind. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 22. Cold-water coral reefs. Figure U: Bioerosion, a major destructive process in the degradation of cold-water coral reefs: |A) External view of a bioeroded Lophelia sl<eleton with circular apertures of boring sponges (black arrow) and comma-shaped apertures of boring bryozoans (white arrow). (B) Broken Lophelia skeleton showing the boring sponge cavities. (C) SEM image of a resin cast of L. pertusa containing a boring fungi consortium. (D) SEM image of a resin-casted boring bryozoan that produces the comma-shaped apertures (see A) Lydia Beuck. ipal reef growth both in warm and cold water is related to the biological degradation of the calcareous frameworl< known as bioerosion'. Bioerosion results in the disintegration of calcareous skeletons through the activity of organisms [Neumann, 19661. This may be caused by the mechanical removal of skeletal carbonates IbioabrasionI, or chemical dissolution IbiocorrosionI, or a combination of both iGolubic and Schneider, 1979). The different bioerosion processes result in the alteration of calcareous skeletons to smaller-sized grains and in the collapse of reef frameworks iMaclntyre, 1984; Gunther, 1990; Wood, 1995). In cold-water reefs, bioerosion is one of the key factors that weakens the stability and thus the longevity of old coral colonies IBoerbom et al., 1998; Freiwald and Wilson, 1998). In contrast to tropical coral reefs, light- dependent boring organisms such as cyanobacteria and algae are not present in cold-water reefs. Here, the boring bioeroder community consists of fungi, sponges, foraminiferans, bryozoans and phoronid worms (Figure li; Beuck and Freiwald, in press; Wisshak et al., in press). The most vulnerable zone with the most intense infestation and diversity of bioeroders in coral skeletons is the dead coral framework just underneath the zone of the living polyps. The composition and abundance of the bioero
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