What is the ecosystem of the coral reef?
What is a coral reef? Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth, rivaled only by tropical rain forests. They are made up not only of hard and soft corals, but also sponges, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and much more.
How does the ecosystem work in a coral reef?
Shallow water, reef-building corals have a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae, which live in their tissues. The coral provides a protected environment and the compounds zooxanthellae need for photosynthesis.
How do you explain coral reefs to kids?
At first glance, you may think that coral reefs are made up of rocks, but they are actually live organisms. These organisms are tiny little animals called polyps. Polyps live on the outside of the reef. As polyps die, they become hard and new polyps grow on top of them causing the reef to grow.
How will you describe this ecosystem?
Powered by. An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life. Ecosystems contain biotic or living, parts, as well as abiotic factors, or nonliving parts. Biotic factors include plants, animals, and other organisms.
Why is coral reef important to marine life?
Coral reefs provide an important ecosystem for life underwater, protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves hitting the coast, and provide a crucial source of income for millions of people. Coral reefs teem with diverse life. Thousands of species can be found living on one reef.
What plants and animals live in the coral reef ecosystem?
Millions of species live in and around coral reefs Fish, corals, lobsters, clams, seahorses, sponges, and sea turtles are only a few of the thousands of creatures that rely on reefs for their survival. Coral reefs are also living museums and reflect thousands of years of history.
What would happen without coral reefs?
Coral reefs are known as “the rainforests of the sea” and provide a quarter of marine species with habitat and food. If coral reefs disappeared, essential food, shelter and spawning grounds for fish and other marine organisms would cease to exist, and biodiversity would greatly suffer as a consequence.
What are 10 fun facts about coral reefs?
10 fun facts about coral reefs
- Coral reefs protect wildlife.
- There are three different types of coral reef.
- Coral needs sunlight to grow.
- Large reefs are thousands of years old.
- Coral reefs make the sea bed more stable.
- They also clean the water.
- Reefs are important nesting grounds.
- The algae on a coral reef is an animal.
What are coral reefs in simple words?
Coral reefs are made up of colonies of hundreds to thousands of tiny individual corals, called polyps. These marine invertebrate animals have hard exoskeletons made of calcium carbonate, and are sessile, meaning permanently fixed in one place.
Why should we protect coral reefs?
Coral reefs provide an important ecosystem for life underwater, protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves hitting the coast, and provide a crucial source of income for millions of people.
What would happen if there were no coral reefs?