Coral is often mistakenly identified as a rock, but in all actuality, it is an animal. The actual coral is composed of small animals called coral polyps. Most polyps are very small, although rare species can grow quite large. One coral branch or mound is composed of thousands of polyps. These thousands of polyps are called a coral colony. Polyps are nocturnal and stay inside their skeletons during the day. Howeve

Fishing is also a major destroyer of the coral. Fishermen who are having trouble finding enough fish now use dynamite as a fishing tool. The fishermen bomb the area killing the fish, they then gather the fish and sell them. However, this dynamite also kills the coral in the area. Private divers trying to capture tropical fish for home fish tanks use cyanide and other chemical poisons. This technique not only poisons the fish, but also the coral polyps in the area as well. The polyps will die and leave the coral a bleached white color.

Coral reefs are massive limestone structures that are home for more than a quarter of all marine life. As one of the most complex ecosystems on the planet, coral reefs are home to over four thousand different species of fish, more than seven hundred species of coral, and thousands of other plants and animals. The reef is actually built by the coral, but not all coral species build reefs. The most active builders on the coral reefs are hard corals. As the polyps of stony corals grow, limestone for their skeletons is produced. When these polyps die, their skeletons are left and are used as a solid substrate for new polyps, which then build more skeletons over the old ones. The actual coral mound or coral tree is made up of thousands of layers of dead coral polyps covered by a very thin layer of living polyps.

Coral reefs have partnerships with other species that are often nearby reefs. Mangrove forests, sea grass beds, and nearby beaches all affect the growth of the reefs. Human interaction with any of these partners can have a drastic affect on the reefs. Mangrove forests can be found along muddy beaches and have several very important functions for coral reefs. They act as nurseries for young fish and other coral animals. Leaves that have fallen from the trees provide food for fish and help enrich the water with needed nutrients. Lately there has been a problem with mankind cutting down many of the mangrove forests. This allows mud and silt to erode into the ocean covering the reef. Sea Grass Beds grow on shallow ocean floors and are also an integral part of the coral ecosystem. They act as nurseries for the young of many coral fish. Sea Grass also acts as a filter, filtering out sand and silt from the water, preventing cloudy water from settling on nearby coral reefs. !

The declining state of

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, Human Interaction, Reef Australia, Sea Grass, coral reefs, Grass Beds, sea grass, sea grass beds, coral polyps, mangrove forests, grass beds, reefs mangrove, barrier reef, coral reef, plants animals, called coral, reefs mangrove forests, coral polyps polyps, forests sea grass, sperm released water,