Die-off of Urchins
In 1983, throughout the Caribbean faunal zone as far south as South America and north to the Bahamas, Diadema antillarum underwent mass mortality, with more than 97% of the urchins dying. Since this time some Caribbean reefs have been overgrown by foliose macroalgae which inhibits coral growth, and this has also has further compounded the ongoing decline the cover of scleractinian corals, as well as having an overall negative affect on coral reef resilience, which encompasses the ability of a system to resist and recover from changes stemming from perturbation events. Recent studies done in Discovery Bay, Jamaica, and other locations appear to show a massive comeback of Diadema, and great regeneration of the reefs.
Read more about this topic: Diadema Antillarum