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Coral Ecosystem

At this point, the coral polyp begins to reproduce asexually. As new polyps are built and added a colony develops. Eventually the coral colony matures and begins to reproduce sexually again, adding to the ever-continual cycle of life. One of the most amazing aspects of coral reproduction is that of mass coral spawning. In many parts of the world, on the same night of the year, every coral will spawn at the same time. Millions of eggs and sperm are released into the water on the same evening in one of the most beautiful events that occurs in nature. .
             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 are divided into four different classes: fringing reefs, barrier reefs, atolls and patch reefs. Fringing reefs are the most common type of reef. They grow near the coastline around islands and continents. They are separated from the shore by narrow, shallow lagoons. Barrier reefs grow parallel to the coastline. At their shallowest point they can reach the water's surface forming a barrier to ships trying to sail through them. The most famous example of a barrier reef is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It is the largest barrier reef in the world.


Essays Related to Coral Ecosystem

1. Coral Reefs and Shark Extinction

... skeletons and has gills on the side of its head used for breathing. Though many of us are afraid of sharks, they are very important to the coral reef ecosystem. Sharks are always swimming around the coral reef hunting for food (small fish). Since our islands are surrounded by corals, we know for sure that there are many sharks around. Sharks feed on ... growth by removing the sick or weak fish from the population. This actually tells us how and why sharks are very important to our coral reef ecosystem worldwide, and most importantly RMI's coral reef ecosystem. It's obvious that both the...

  • Word Count: 1024
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Coral Reefs

... close to shore. This also makes it hard for all of the species which use the coral reef to survive. Coral reefs are home to perhaps one-fourth of all marine species. This in turns affects the entire ecosystem of the ocean. Pollution by humans has directly or indirectly caused the death of 5%-10% ... deep ocean. If the fisheries are regulated then the reefs can be used as a food source without hurting the reefs or the ecosystem. For example, Pacific Islanders obtain up to 90% of their animal protein from reef fish without affecting the reefs and without depleting the fish and affecting ....

  • Word Count: 1240
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Coral Reefs

... close to shore. This also makes it hard for all of the species which use the coral reef to survive. Coral reefs are home to perhaps one-fourth of all marine species. This in turns effects the entire ecosystem of the ocean. Pollution by humans have directly or indirectly caused the death of 5%-10% ... Scientific, 1987). If the fisheries are regulated than the reefs can be used as a food source without hurting the reefs or the ecosystem. For example, Pacific Islanders obtain up to 90% of their animal protein from reef fish without affecting the reefs and without depleting the fish and eff...

  • Word Count: 1326
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. coral reefs

... close to shore. This also makes it hard for all of the species which use the coral reef to survive. Coral reefs are home to perhaps one-fourth of all marine species. This in turns effects the entire ecosystem of the ocean. Pollution by humans have directly or indirectly caused the death of 5%-10% ... Scientific, 1987). If the fisheries are regulated than the reefs can be used as a food source without hurting the reefs or the ecosystem. For example, Pacific Islanders obtain up to 90% of their animal protein from reef fish without affecting the reefs and without depleting the fish and ef...

  • Word Count: 1321
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. coral

... close to shore. This also makes it hard for all of the species which use the coral reef to survive. Coral reefs are home to perhaps one-fourth of all marine species. This in turns effects the entire ecosystem of the ocean. Pollution by humans have directly or indirectly caused the death of 5%-10% ... Scientific, 1987). If the fisheries are regulated than the reefs can be used as a food source without hurting the reefs or the ecosystem. For example, Pacific Islanders obtain up to 90% of their animal protein from reef fish without affecting the reefs and without depleting the fish and eff...

  • Word Count: 1301
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Ecosystem Protection and Species Protection

... changes in their environment and require a very strict range of conditions in order to survive. The most notable of these habitats involve coral reef areas. Coral reefs serve as host to a variety of species and play a pivotal role in their ecosystem. Most corals grow very slowly and once damaged take centuries to recover, if they recover at all. There are many different factors ... is that of carbonic acid. Excess CO2 in the oceans is causing a rise in carbonic acid, which is killing coral reefs, which then has a domino effect on all of the other species that rely on the coral reefs for...

  • Word Count: 614
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography

7. Coral Reefs

... rise from deep sea and those found on the continental shelf. A variety of animals live in coral reefs. Each very unique and important. Sponges have been apart of the coral reef ecosystem from early on. Several species of these porous animals inhabit reefs. Sponges provide shelter for fishes, ... is the giant clam. This clam may reach a length of 4 ft. {1.2 m}. Both schooling and solitary fishes are essential residents of the ecosystem. Fishes play a vital role in the reef's food web, acting as both predators and prey. Their leftover food scraps and wastes provide food ... populations ...

  • Word Count: 1410
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Are Coral Reefs Beneficial To the Ecosystem and Mankind?

... for reef animals such as sponges, sea anemones, Bryozoans, sea cucumbers, sea urchins,shrimps,carbs, lobsters, octopuses, squids, nudibranch, sharks, wrasses, eels, angelfish, seahorses and sea turtles (Corals and Coral Reefs, 2002). It is rank among the most biologically productive of all ecosystems as it harbor 950 000 species which is about 9% of the world's total (Reiss, Chapman, 2000) Besides ... where nutrient level is fluctuating widely (Reiss and Chapman, 2000). Here, the symbiotic relationships are essential to add the complexity of species interactions in the sea ecology. Apart...

  • Word Count: 1028
  • Approx Pages: 4

9. Carbon Dioxide is Killing Coral Reefs

... -water reefs to be less sensitive to the ph acidity change when the process occurred slowly. Being among the most threatened ecosystem in the world, coral reefs are surely facing the threat of becoming extinct due to the high ocean acidification rate. It is the high time ... estimated ocean acidification increased by around 30%. They identified ocean acidification as the greatest threat to survival of marine life's more so the coral reefs. They suggested the best solution to begin with towards fighting the acidification menace was to educate both the policy makers and the ... The feder...

  • Word Count: 1207
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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