摘要
In this paper,the metazoan-framing reef of Carboniferous is taken as an example. The relationship between crinoids and frame-building corals in reef communities and the function of crinoids in reef building process are discussed according to reef growth and community ecological interactions. It demonstrated a relationship among the biological factors in reef ecosystem. It is found that the crinoids-dominating communities contribute the initialization of corals in primary stage of reef-development; while in reef-building process,an environment-controling competition is developed between crinoids and frame-building corals,which leads to an increase in one and a decrease in the other in biomass. Environmental changes resulted in the death of corals and the break of reef growth,leaving only crinoids, and competition disappeared. The crinoids provided bioclasts for the reef continually,which covered the coral reef framework and protected the reef to some degree.
