Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals.

Coral reefs are colonies of tiny animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps belong to a group of animals known as Cnidaria, which also includes sea anemones and jellyfish. Unlike sea anemones, coral polyps secrete hard carbonate exoskeletons which support and protect their bodies. Reefs grow best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and agitated waters. Often called "rainforests of the sea", coral reefs form some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. They occupy less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface, about half the area of France, yet they provide a home for 25% of all marine species, including fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other [4] cnidarians. Paradoxically, coral reefs flourish even though they are surrounded by ocean waters that provide few nutrients. They are most commonly found at shallow depths in tropical waters, but deep water and cold water corals also exist on smaller scales in other areas. Coral reefs deliver ecosystem services to tourism, fisheries and shoreline protection. The annual global economic value of coral reefs is estimated between US$ 29.8-375 billion. However, coral reefs are fragile ecosystems, partly because they are very sensitive to water temperature. They are under threat from climate change, oceanic acidification, blast fishing, cyanide fishing for aquarium fish, overuse of reef resources, and harmful land-use practices, including urban and agricultural runoff and water pollution, which can harm reefs by encouraging excess algal growth. Any diver can tell you that coral reefs are beautiful. They are like undersea cities, filled with colorful fish, intricate formations and wondrous sea creatures. The importance of coral reefs, however, extends far beyond the pleasure it brings to those who explore it. Coral reefs play an essential role in everything from water filtration and fish reproduction to shore line protection and erosion prevention. A B AR R IER F R OM ST ORM S AN D SU R G E Reefs play an important role in protecting the shoreline from storms and surge water. Barrier reefs, such as Floridas, were named for the way they reduce waves and buffer the shores. Barrier reefs help stabilize mangroves and seagrass beds, which can easily be uprooted by large waves and h6 currents. Erosion prevention is particularly important in coastal areas such as the Florida Keys, where much of the shore is lined with residential homes and commercial buildings. ONE FISH, TWO FISH As the foundation for complex food webs, coral reefs support an incredible diversity of fish. Algae, soft coral, sponges and invertebrates create the base of this web. From small herbivorous fish to large predatory fish, all find food and protection on the reef. Along side reef fish is an equally diverse array of marine crustaceans, reptiles and mammals. Everything from lobsters and octopus to sea turtles and dolphins depend on the reef for food, habitat and protection. Each animal plays an important role in the reef ecosystem, be it filtering water, consuming prolific algae or keeping a particular species under control. By supporting such a wide range of plants and animals, reefs are able to maintain balanced relationships between predators and prey and organisms in competition for the same resources. It is these balanced relationships that keep our marine ecosystems diverse and abundant with life. NUTRITION Fish and other marine life have been a primary source of protein for as long as people have lived along the coast. From small scale artisanal fisheries to major commercial fleets, harvesting of marine life is a major economic force in all of the worlds oceans. Local fisheries, such as lobster, stone crab, snapper and grouper, all directly rely on the reef for spawning and habitat. Other fisheries, such as tuna, dolphin and other pelagic species, rely on the reef indirectly, though the bait fish that they consume. W AT ER F ILT R AT ION Most corals and sponges are filter feeders, which means that they consume particulate matter suspended in the water column. This contributes to enhanced quality and clarity of our near shore waters. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Coral reefs often form the backbone of local economies. Tourists coming to dive need not only dive boats and guides, but also restaurants, hotels and commercial and entertainment facilities. In many cases, tourism asociated with reefs has expanded to transform the entire economy of a region. This of course has both positive and negative consequences for

both the marine environment and the communities involved. For example, someone who harvests sea turtle eggs may choose to sell turtle tours as an alternative livelihood. On the other hand, an unmonitored number of tourists may result in environmental problems such as coral damage, pollution and inadequate waste treatment. Different Kinds of Coral Corals come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colour. But there are two types of corals: Soft Corals and Hard Corals. Sea Plumes are Soft Corals Brain Corals are Hard Corals

Soft Corals Called soft corals because they do not have hard, rigid permanent skeletons, this group is made up of the Gorgonians and the Black Corals. Gorgonian colonies are attached to a hard surface by a single anchor at the base of a stem. This stem is like a tree trunk. And like a tree, gorgonians have branches. Different gorgonians have different branching patterns. The inter connected net-like branching is typical for sea fans while sea whips and sea plumes have pinnate branching pattern. The polyps live beneath the branch surface but extend their tentacles and bodies through surface openings celled apertures. The illustrations below show the various branching patterns of gorgonians. Which one looks the most familiar to you? What kinds of coral do you see? Yes, sea fans and sea plumes! Do you see any other kinds of corals? Black Corals Black corals live in the deep and shallow ocean. Like all corals, they too have animals living in them called polyps. But their polyps do not make corallite homes like stony or hard corals. The polyps live in the skeletal surface instead. Each polyp has six, small non-retractable tentacles that you can see with your bare eye. Black coral polyps make a black substance that becomes extremely hard and strong. This material is built up in circular layers to form a wire-like skeleton. When you cut a branch in half you will see that the layers look like the growth rings of a tree. Black coral is protected by international laws. Yet, in some countries, black coral is illegally collected to make jewellery. Many black coral forests in the Caribbean have been totally destroyed. Black coral colonies are slow-growing so it will take them over 100 years to re-grow and flourish once more. The illustrations below show the various branching patterns of black corals. Do you recognize any? Hard Corals This group is made up of the hydrocorals and the stony corals. Both types of coral have hard skeletons made of calcium carbonate. There are two kinds of hydrocorals: fire and lace corals. Fire coral, sometimes called stinging coral, gives you a painful, burning feeling when it touches your bare skin. The sting is not dangerous but the rash can itch for a few days. What makes fire coral sting? Microscopic hairs called nematocysts on the tentacles of the polyps are responsible for delivering the painful sting. Fire corals have two types of polyps: stinging polyps and feeding polyps. Lace corals get their name because of their appearance; they produce many branched, hard, calcium carbonate skeletons. In the Caribbean there are three growth patterns:branching,blade andbox. Lace corals also have feeding and stinging polyps. The polyps live in small pores in the skeleton. The pores look like cups. Lace corals are usually shades of purple, burgundy or lavender at the base, fading to pink and white out to the branches tips. Although lace corals can irritate bare, sensitive skin, their stinging cells are not as powerful as those of fire corals. Stony Coral These hard corals are the basic building blocks of tropical coral reefs. The polyp of hard corals makes a hard, protective shell like a cup out of calcium carbonate called corallite. The corallite protects the soft, fragile bodies of the polyp. Hard corals grow in colonies. These colonies that give the reef structure lots of calcium carbonate are called reef-building corals. The polyps get calcium carbonate from the sea water. There are six groups of hard corals: branching & pillar corals; encrusting, mound & boulder corals; brain corals; leaf, plate & sheet corals; fleshy corals; and flower & cup corals.

Lets take a closer look at the polyp! Polyps live inside the corallites for protection. A polyp is an animal and like all animals it needs to eat. A polyp grabs plankton, microscopic food, using its stinging and feeding tentacles. The food is then digested in its stomach. The soft body of a coral polyp is about the size of a pencil eraser. Some corals have 8 tentacles, others have multiples of 6. When the polyp dies, the chalky skeleton remains, and another polyp will grow on top of the old one. Coral colonies grow in many shapes and come in many colours. Many corals have symbiotic algae that live inside them. Symbionts are two organisms that help one another. These algae are called zooxanthellae and they help form the coral's stony exoskeleton and give the coral its colour. This picture taken through a microscope shows a soft coral polyp. Green shows the polyp tissue, while the red shows the symbiotic zooxanthellae. In the photo below, a goby hides in a hole in the coral and is surrounded by millions of polyps. Look closely at the photo at those tiny, whitish flower petals close to the fish. Thats the delicate flesh of the polyps. In the photo below of brain c oral, the polyps have their tentacles extended for feeding. The polyps only come out at night to feed. Reproduction Do corals have babies? Yes, they sure do! Corals reproduce either sexually or asexually. Sexually reproduction occurs by either internal or external fertilization. Internally fertilized eggs are stay in the polyp for days to weeks. Free-swimming larvae are released into the water and settle on a hard surface within hours. Externally fertilized eggs develop while drifting in the water. After a few days these fertilized eggs develop into free-swimming larvae. Larvae settle within hours to days. The photo shows a spawning brain coral! Millions of baby corals make their way into a brave new world to settle, grow and one day become large reefs! Asexual reproduction happens by a process called budding. Budding occurs when a portion of the parent polyp pinches off to form a new individual. Threats to Coral Reefs Corals reefs are the only ecosystems anywhere on the entire planet where the most animal and plant life is found! Not only do fish that we use for food live on and around the reefs but also other species of plants and marine life that scientists can study to make medicine to help cure diseases. Reefs are like underwater gardens full of colour and natural wonders. For this reason many people enjoy snorkelling and SCUBA diving. Coral reefs also help to protect the coast from destructive waves during storms. Coral reefs grow very slowly at upward at rates of 1 to 20 cm per year. This means that some corals are hundreds of years old! Because of the great importance of these ecosystems and the very long time they take to grow, it is important that we protect them. Yet, all over the world coral reefs are disappearing. Things that threaten reefs are: Pollution oil spills and other chemical pollution; garbage like plastic; sewage and run-off from land either kill the polyps or cause algae to grow over the corals and suffocate them. Over-fishing many reef fish eat the algae that grow on the reef. When too many of those algae-eating fish are removed, the algae become overgrown and stifle the polyps. Mechanical damage when boats drop or drag their anchor along the sea bottom, they break and destroy large parts of the reef. Climate change scientists claim that humans are putting too much carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in the air. The release of this gas into our atmosphere is responsible for making the planet and oceans warm up too fast. The zooxanthellae living inside the coral cannot survive in water that is too warm. When the water temperature is too high, the zooxanthellae leave the coral in search of cooler waters. The coral then loses its colour and turns pale or white. This is called bleaching. If the zooxanthellae stay away for too long and the water remains too warm, the polyps eventually die. All that remains is the hard exoskeleton we know as coral rock.

Invasive species different animals and plants are found in different places on the planet. A certain species of fish found in the Caribbean will not be found in the Pacific. When a species ends up in a place where it is not naturally found and it takes up more space and food than the species common to the place, we call it an invasive species. Invasive species of fish on a reef can threaten the reef by feeding on the common reef fishes. Or an invasive type of algae or starfish can overgrow or nibble away at the reef. The picture shows the invasive Lionfish. W H AT IS T H E CO R AL R E EF ECO SY ST EM ? The health, abundance and diversity of the organisms that make up a coral reef is directly linked to the surrounding terrestrial and marine environments. Mangrove forests and seagrass beds are two of the most important facets of the greater coral reef ecosystem. Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees that grow along tropical and sub-tropical coasts. Their complex root systems help stabilize the shore line, while filtering pollutants and producing nutrients. Their submerged roots and detritus provide nursery, breeding, and feeding grounds for invertebrates, fish, birds, and other marine life. Many of the animals raised in mangroves migrate to coral reefs for food, spawning and habitat. Seagrasses are flowering plants that often form meadows between mangrove habitats and coral reefs. They form the foundation of many food webs, providing nutrients for everything from sea urchins and snails to sea turtles and manatees. Seagrass also provides protection and shelter for commercially valuable species such as stone crabs, snappers and lobsters. Additionally, they filter the water column, prevent seabed erosion, and release oxygen essential for most marine life. The ecosystem services of mangroves and seagrass are vital to the long term health of coral reefs. There is another very important element of the reef ecosystem that is often over looked: the land. Pollutants, nutrients and litter enter near shore waters through rivers, streams, underground seepage, waste water and storm water runnoff. Even areas hundreds of miles from the coast can affect the clarity and quality of water flowing to the reef. It does not matter how far removed a pollutant may seem, it all flows down stream and it can all impact our marine environment and our reefs.

CORAL REEFS
IMPORTANCE OF CORAL REEFS THREATS IN CORAL REEFS CORAL REEF AS AN ECOSYSTEM KINDS OF CORAL REEFS