Temporal and spatial variation of hermatypic coral assemblages during glacial-interglacial climate changes

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To understand how hermatypic corals expanded/shrunk their geographical distribution ranges in response to the global climate changes during glacial-interglacial cycles, glacial coral reef deposits in Kikai Island of Ryukyu Islands, located near the northern limit of coral reefs, were collected by the shallow drillings. Lithologic and stratigraphic investigations of these reef deposits indicate that coral reefs were developed during the glacial low sea levels at 40-70 kyr B. P. and 140 kyr B. P. Further, taxonomic studies of fossil corals demonstrated that these glacial reefs were partly comprised of corals dominated in the modern temperate regions along the Japanese archipelago.