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CORAL REEFS
Isabelle Bounkeua
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Coral reefs
are among the oldest and most diverse ecosystems in the world. They are called the
rainforest of the sea because even though they cover only .07 percent of the
Earth's surface (about the size of Texas), they support 25 % of all marine fish
species. 500 million people rely on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods
as well as for protection against erosion of the coast from the sea. Scientist
discovered treatments for cardiovascular diseases and ulcers as well as some
possible new medicines for cancer and HIV in the reefs and coral skeletons have
been used as bone grafts for humans. However, if the present rate
of destruction of coral reefs continues, 70% of coral reefs will be dead by
2050.
There are different kinds of coral: hermatypic
corals, ahermatypic corals, and soft and hard corals of each kind. Hermatypic
corals are the colorful corals in tropical reefs that we usually conjure a
picture of when we say "coral" while ahermatypic corals usually
live in the depths of the ocean and don't necessarily have any color. When
l use plain "coral" in this site I mean hermatypic corals. For
details on differences between hermatypic and ahermatypic corals, see Adaptations
and Relationships and for the difference between hard and soft corals
see Animals: coral.
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Overview of Coral Reef
in Fiji |
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Reefs come in three types : Fringing,
Barrier and Atoll
Fringing Reefs hug the coast
Barrier Reefs form further away from the cost
and usually have a lagoon between it and land.
Atoll Reefs are fringing or barrier reefs that
formed around an island which then sank over time leaving only a circle of reefs
around a lagoon.
Coral Reefs are the largest living structure
on Earth and the Great Barrier Reef is the largest at almost 2000km
(1243 mi).
