Coral reefs
protect coastlines from storms and erosion
, provide jobs for local communities, and offer opportunities for recreation. They are also are a source of food and new medicines. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection.
What is corals ecological niche?
Coral Reefs as Ecosystems
In an ecosystem, each species has its own niche or role to play. … Coral reefs are a
very high functioning ecosystem
and are home to thousands of species of marine life. Algae, fish, echinoderms and many other species depend on the reef for their habitat and food too.
Why is coral ecologically and economically so important?
Healthy coral reefs contribute to fishing and tourism, providing millions of jobs and contributing to economies all over the world. Scientists develop important drugs from coral reef organisms as treatments for cancer, arthritis, and viruses. … Because coral reefs are
an important part of earth's fragile ecosystem
.
How does coral support marine life?
The coral polyps (animals) provide
the algae (plants) a home
, and in exchange the algae provide the polyps with food they generate through photosynthesis. … Coral reefs provide habitat for a large variety of marine life, including various sponges, oysters, clams, crabs, sea stars, sea urchins, and many species of fish.
What is the role of coral in the food chain?
Primary Producer
Coral reefs need to live close to the surface of the water in
order to collect the light energy from the sun
. These unique organisms create their own food by transferring the sun's energy into chemical energy, using photosynthesis. In this ecosystem, the primary producers are plankton and algae.
How do corals help humans?
Coral reefs
protect coastlines from storms and erosion
, provide jobs for local communities, and offer opportunities for recreation. They are also are a source of food and new medicines. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection.
What are two threats to corals?
Coral reefs face many threats from local sources, including:
Physical damage or destruction from coastal development
, dredging, quarrying, destructive fishing practices and gear, boat anchors and groundings, and recreational misuse (touching or removing corals).
What exactly is coral?
Corals are
animals
And unlike plants, corals do not make their own food. Corals are in fact animals. The branch or mound that we often call “a coral” is actually made up of thousands of tiny animals called polyps. A coral polyp is an invertebrate that can be no bigger than a pinhead to up to a foot in diameter.
Do Coral reefs produce oxygen?
Most corals, like other cnidarians, contain a symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae, within their gastrodermal cells. … In return,
the algae produce oxygen
and help the coral to remove wastes.
What are corals simple definition?
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 do we need to 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. Coral reefs teem with diverse life. Thousands of species can be found living on one reef.
What would happen without coral reefs?
The disappearance of coral reefs from our planet could lead to
a domino effect of mass destruction
. Many marine species will vanish after their only source of food disappears forever. … Climate change and bleached coral will make coral-based tourism unappealing or non-existent, which will lead to job losses.
What is the largest coral reef in the world?
Some key facts about
the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
: covers 344,400 km
2
in area. includes the world's largest coral reef ecosystem.
Is coral a consumer?
Corals are also
secondary consumers at the third trophic level
, because they also eat zooplankton and other small organisms they catch with their tentacles. Zooplankton that eat phytoplankton are primary consumers at the second trophic level.
Which is the correct food chain found in the coral reef?
At the top of the reef food chain are the
tertiary consumers
, the bigger animals that feed on smaller fish and crustaceans. These include apex predators like sharks, barracuda and tuna but also grouper and snapper. These are the fish that are commercially fished at unsustainable levels.
How can we prevent coral extinction?
- Recycle and dispose of trash properly. Marine debris can be harmful to coral reefs. …
- Minimize use of fertilizers. …
- Use environmentally-friendly modes of transportation. …
- Reduce stormwater runoff. …
- Save energy at home and at work. …
- Be conscious when buying aquarium fish. …
- Spread the word!
