Twenty five percent of all marine life on earth live in coral reefs. Coral reefs are very fascinating with their array of living things in the ecosystem. Coral reefs are known to be a very beautiful place though coral reefs do much more for humans than just tourism. Coral reefs provide food, resources and many other valuable things.“ Without the oceans there would be no life on earth” - Peter Benchley. That quote seems like a stretch of the truth but the oceans provide more for humans than we realize and we can’t live without the oceans including coral reefs. Unfortunately, many of coral reefs around the world are dying because of humans with corals bleaching and animals dying from inhaling or eating harmful waste dumped in the ocean but there are many ways to help. All of these concepts will be described below. Life forms, impacts of climate change/human activity, and endangered species are the topics for this essay.
Coral reefs are home to millions of species. These species are what keeps the coral reefs so biodiverse. The range of life in coral reefs are from micro-organisms we can’t see without a microscope to whale sharks the size of a school bus. Plants in coral reefs include algae, seagrass and zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae is the algae that lives in invertebrates in the sea like corals and jellyfish. Algae is found on all corals and seagrass is found mostly at the seafloor. The animals in coral reefs differ in many ways and each of the species is unique.
If people do not start to act soon, hundreds of species around the world will be extinct by the year 2050. Healthy coral reefs mean healthy oceans, and healthy oceans mean a healthier earth. Water covers 70% of the earth’s surface and less than 1% of that is coral reefs. Without coral reefs, water is dirtier and wildlife is less abundant. Coral reefs are also important to the development of new medicines. Without coral reefs, scientists might never find a cure for diseases like Cancer, and Alzheimer’s. A Greek goddess that could protect coral reefs would be very beneficial because without the reefs, there would be many problems. This goddess would protect the reefs around the world and hurt people who were threatening the safety of them. The destruction of coral reefs is such a devastating issue because the reefs help to give animals homes, who have had their habitats destroyed and limit the furthering of medical research.
The ocean is two-thirds of our planet a vast blue landscape home to many biomes which according to Boyce Thorne-Miller “(ecosystem types) corresponding to sets of environmental conditions that vary with depth, latitude, and longitude” (16). However, the ocean and its biomes is under attack from the changing environment. We can see this through coral reef biomes as they make their home near the shores. Through coral reefs we can view the effects that these changes have on the ocean through how the coral reef biome is affected. Humans are a danger to the coral reefs and the wildlife that resides in the biome. The pollution being released into the environment is poisoning the coral and causes death and malformation to the wildlife. The ocean is changing due to global warming which is causing a change in the temperature and rising water levels leading to a change in the stabile areas coral can survive. The increasing acidification of the ocean is causing the coral reefs to die. I will be looking at the effects these issues cause to coral reefs biomes and the ocean to see the similarities in how they affect both.
Coral reefs are the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet. There are more than 25,000 known species of organisms and countless others that have yet to be identified (Helvarg, 2000). Reefs thrive on the shallow edge of tropical seas, most often on the eastern edge of continents along warm water currents that brush the coasts. Reefs cannot live in cold waters and are limited by ocean depth and available sunlight. Coral is the foundation of the reef community, providing a three-dimensional structure where thousands of species of vertebrates and invertebrates live and feed. Some species of coral are hard, while others soft. Some are branched, yet others are compact and rounded. Coral is made up of large
Consisting of less than 1% of the world oceans, the coral reefs are ancient animals comprising of thin calcium carbonate deposits within the photic layer. Aside from its biologically diverse ecosystems, coral reefs are major source of food for millions and provides habitats and nursery areas for many marine organisms. Coral reefs also act as a physical buffer to protect the coastlines from tropical storms and erosion. In addition, many local communities rely on coral reefs to generate an income through activities such as fishing and diving. However, 75% of the coral reefs are under threat from induced impacts of humans and climate change (Burke, et al., 2011). This essay looks at the human impacts constantly being inflicted on coral reefs.
First, I am going to talk about the importance of coral reefs. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth. They are home to 4,000 species of fish, 800 species of hard coral, and hundreds of other species. Scientists believe that there are another 1 to 8 million unidentified species (NOAA). According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, new drugs are being developed from
One of the most diverse and biologically rich marine ecosystems is the coral reef. Almost every ecosystem has a greater purpose, coral reef are no exception. For instance they serve as barriers for hurricanes, and other catastrophic storms, their chemicals treat diseases, and one of the most important function is they are a major source of food for humans. But that is just the benefits for humans, they provide shelter and food for numerous organisms, such as fish, turtles, dolphins, and several other marine life.
Developing organizations, such as The Ocean Agency and the Coral Restoration Foundation, have been raising concern in efforts to conserve and furthermore sustain aquatic life and the ecosystem in which they inhabit. These unique fish, found living and populating among the coral reef, face a level of degradation and life threatening obstacles. The coral reef acts as a home to more than a quarter of the know fish species, where their population and species have been widely studied. This ecosystem is a beautiful representation of life which supports, and is supported by other neighboring ecosystems; embodying a significance as the leading consumer item for those who live along the reefs. Their importance to our planets collective ecosystem is not fully understood, due to the way these ecosystems are interconnected to one another, but nevertheless illustrates an example of a struggling life which may provide problems for both terrestrial and aquatic life-forms. Aside from the human dependency, being that “More than 450 million people live within 60 kilometers of coral reefs, with the majority directly or
These increasing ocean temperatures, which result in global warming, are mostly due to the amount of CO2 released in the air, therefore threatening the existence of the coral reef systems (Cole, Pratchett and Jones). The reduction of the coral reef ecosystems are attributed to the climate induced bleaching from the past decade. The loss of coral reef environments has direct affects to the habitat of an organism within the reefs (Cole, Pratchett and Jones), leading to a decrease in biodiversity (Coker, Pratchett and Munday).
The plants that live in the coral reefs are turtle grass, algae, zooxanthellae, and mangroves. The turtle grasses adaptation in it is relessent to storms. Algae has an adaptation of being attached to the sea bottom. Zooxanthellae is known for making its own light.mangroves are good at their reproduction. These are some of the plants that live in the coral reef biome.
When thinking of oceans, people imagine the only living things that are in the waters are fish and small organisms. But there is much more some individuals may not know. Some shallow and deep oceans are home to coral. These groups of coral are classified as marine invertebrates. They breathe and consume microscopic animals called zooplankton. Coral reefs receive their energy from the sunlight, they turn it sugars for their energy. The marine invertebrates are living things that are a vital part of the ocean and human beings. Saldy these communities are in major trouble
Coral reef ecosystems around the globe are threatened by human interferences and climate change. This has led to many scientists conducting studies on global coral reef ecosystems to gain a better understanding of the cause and effects of coral reef damage. In both Hodgson’s (1999) and Carpenter et al.’s (2008) studies, they are aware of the continuous degradation of global coral reef ecosystems. Hodgson's study involved conducting a survey on global coral reef ecosystems to see whether human actions were affecting the health of supposed pristine Coral reefs. Carpenter et al. incorporated Hodgson’s study into a compiled study about the possible extinction of reef building corals due to climate change and anthropogenic effects. Carpenter’s
Coral reefs around the world are in danger. One of the causes is global warming, which has been increasing the temperature of the ocean water resulting in coral bleaching. This essay will focus on damage occurring to the Great Barrier Reef.
Seaweed is marine algae. Large algae is also known as macro algae. Although seaweed is sometimes mistaken for plants, they are not actually plants because they lack roots, stems and leaves. Like sea grass, seaweed requires sunlight for photosynthesis. Since they don't inherit roots they require hard surfaces to attach themselves to so they don't float away. Brown and red algae are usually found closer to shore, whereas red and green seaweed is found more further away in offshore areas. Algae play a large role in the ecology of the Great Barrier Reef. They create habitats for numerous invertebrates and vertebrates. In addition they are a major food source for various
The deterioration of coral reefs is mainly linked to human activities – 88% of coral reefs are threatened through various reasons as
Coral reefs are one of the oldest types of living systems on earth, and certainly one of the most spectacular (Goreau, 1987). They are massive underwater structures formed by the limestone skeletons of tiny invertebrate animals. Reefs house a greater diversity of body forms, chemistry, and animal phyla (thirty-two compared to the eight that inhabit the most biodiversity ecosystems on land). Phyla comprise the second largest category of living things, after kingdoms.