Coral reef facts From above, the Ocean seems empty, like a desert made of water, but this is just on the surface. Come below the waves and explore the multiplicity of colour and life that exist on the coral reefs.
what’s a coral reefs? Coral reefs are complex mosaic of marine plants and animals. They represent hot spots of marine biodiversity, often called “rainforests of the sea”. Although they occupy less than 0,1% of the world’ ocean surface, they support up to two million species and 25% of all marine life on the planet. Reefs need WARM, SHALLOW, CLEAR, SUNNY AND AGITATED WATER WITH SOLID SUBSTRATE to grow up. These optimal conditions they can find close to the equator near coastlines and around islands throughout the world. Maldives is one of the most species-rich marine areas in the Indian Ocean region. The Archipelago represents a globally unique ecoregion and species biogeography. It is estimated that there are approximately 250 species of corals, fish populations are diverse and extremely abundant, as are invertebrate fauna.
what’s a coral? At first gaze, you may think that coral reefs are made up of rocks, but they are actually live organisms. Coral polyps are tiny, soft-bodied organisms related to sea anemones and jellyfish. They live in a spectacularly hard and protective calcium carbonate skeleton, which forms the structure of coral reefs. Reefs begin when a polyp attaches itself to a rock on the sea floor, then divides into thousands of clones, creating a colony that acts as a single organism. They grow really slowly, some of them up to few centimeters per year. So next time you jump into the water try to estimate how old is the reef that you are exploring!!!
spectacular spawning! Every year coral species spawn over three to five days period, coinciding with the full moon. The timing of this event is synchronized across species. The phenomenon resembles an underwater snowstorm. All the bundles (eggs and sperm) rise slowly to the surface, here a new polyp begins its cycle life.
why are so important? Besides being a beautiful touristic attraction, this ecosystem provide a number of ecological goods and services to human populations. As food from fishing, protection of coastlines from erosion, building materials and even medicines for cancer and HIV. The total annual value is estimated to be $ 375 billion.
is time for feeding? Coral polyps can feed in two different ways. Generally at night, by capturing small prey with their tentacles. These have stinging cells (nematocysts) that stun the prey so that it can be pulled back towards in their mouth. But what make so unique this organism is the symbiotic relationship with microalgae, zooxanthellae. In fact the algae provide more than 95% of the metabolic demands of the corals. When stressed by temperature change or pollution, corals will break up with the symbionts, causing coral bleaching that can kill the colony if the stress is not mitigated.
reefs in peril Coral reefs are one of the most threatened ecosystem worldwide. Approximately 60% of coral reefs are currently threatened by several natural and anthropogenic impacts. They are considered the most sensible and fragile ecosystem. They are subjected to multi-stress such as: cyclones, tsunami, coral predation, fishing with destructive methods (dynamite and cyanide), terrestrial runoff, overfishing, increasing greenhouse gases’ concentration (especially CO2), chemical pollution (pesticides, sunscreens, personal care products), excessive urbanization of the coasts, habitat’ destruction and the introduction of alien species. All these have led to massive ecological damage and as well as economic losses. In many reef occurred irreversible changes in structure and functional loss of species, ecological shift in the composition of the community; resulting in a reduction of habitat quality. The world has already effectively lost 19% of the original area of coral reefs; 15% are seriously threatened with loss within the next 10–20 years.
how can we help the coral reefs for the future? conservation, restoration and preservation of the ecosystem Because we cannot stop the natural processes of Earth Mother on the coral reef, we have the chance to reduce and mitigate our footprint on the coral reefs every day. For maintain healthy the reef we can: reduce pollution and waste, be responsible divers/snorkeler, conserve water, choosing sustainable seafood and be inform and share the knowledge with the other about this ecosystem and its threats.