Theory helps to provide rigorous thinking, to generate hypotheses, and to place specific data in a general conceptual framework. Observational studies are essential to understand the basic natural history of the study system and to provide correlative tests of predictions, especially in situations where experiments are infeasible. Properly designed and implemented field experiments, when possible, provide very rigorous tests of alternative predictions among competing hypotheses. I'd like to add that such detailed studies of coral reefs are becoming a luxury. As the degradation of reefs continues worldwide, it seems imperative to me that we must protect these wonderful ecosystems from further insults, even before we study them in greater detail.
Research takes time, and the reefs are running out of time.