Coral associations and their value for paleontological research

When describing fossil reef facies, one often speaks of coral communities when several species are found in the same layer. The term "organism community" is of a very general nature and embraces co-incidental or necessary, permanent or temporary associations of organisms. Lately it is being linked to paleoecological statements more often (Paporte 1977), which gives it a sociological and ecological meaning. This is theoretically justified, because only differentiated ecological factors lead to typical coral communities being formed. However, such coral communities are not co-incidental, but regulated by certain laws of environmental conditions, they are not temporary, but permanent phenomena; particularly when environmental conditions are reconstructable and used for a description of the habitats, does it appear advisable to use the well-defined term "association".