The tropical Caribbean Regional Ecosystem is home to coral reefs and the vibrant communities of fish and protected species that depend on reefs as habitat, such as sea turtles. Recreation, tourism, shipping, and fisheries drive the economy of the Caribbean Regional Ecosystem.
What type of ecosystem is the Caribbean sea?
The coastal Caribbean region is a large marine ecosystem (LME) characterized by coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses, but including other environments, such as sandy beaches and rocky shores.
Is coral reef a coastal ecosystem?
There are 14 coastal ecosystems that are important to the function of the Reef: coral reefs, lagoon floors, islands, open water, seagrass, coastline, estuaries, freshwater wetlands, forested floodplains, health and shrublands, grass and sedgelands, woodlands, forests, and rainforests.
What type of environment is a reef?
Because of strict environmental restrictions, coral reefs generally are confined to tropical and semi-tropical waters .
What are the Caribbean coral reefs?
Caribbean Corals
Most Caribbean coral reefs are what are known as fringing reefs . These grow directly offshore with either a shallow lagoon or nothing behind them. For that reason, they can be seen as extensions of the shoreline, even if they are hundreds of yards from land.
What type of ecosystems are in the Caribbean islands?
It is organized around five ecosystem types: open- ocean, coasts, coral reefs, mangrove forests and tropical forests .
What is the Caribbean ecosystem?
The tropical Caribbean Regional Ecosystem is home to coral reefs and the vibrant communities of fish and protected species that depend on reefs as habitat, such as sea turtles. ... Recreation, tourism, shipping, and fisheries drive the economy of the Caribbean Regional Ecosystem.
Why are coral reefs considered to be an ecosystem?
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 are the different types of ecosystem?
- Terrestrial ecosystem.
- Forest ecosystem.
- Grassland ecosystem.
- Desert ecosystem.
- Tundra ecosystem.
- Freshwater ecosystem.
- Marine ecosystem.
What is the example of ecosystem?
Examples of ecosystems are: agroecosystem , aquatic ecosystem, coral reef, desert, forest, human ecosystem, littoral zone, marine ecosystem, prairie, rainforest, savanna, steppe, taiga, tundra, urban ecosystem and others. plants, animals, soil organisms and climatic conditions.
Where is the coral reef ecosystem located?
Coral reefs are located in tropical oceans near the equator . The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The second largest coral reef can be found off the coast of Belize, in Central America. Other reefs are found in Hawaii, the Red Sea, and other areas in tropical oceans.
What is in the ecosystem?
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 . ... Abiotic factors include rocks, temperature, and humidity.
What ecosystem services do coral reefs provide?
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.
Why is Caribbean coral reef endangered?
Overfishing threatens over 60 percent of Caribbean coral reefs. ... The removal of herbivorous fish, which consume algae, facilitates algal overgrowth of corals. Declines in coral cover and increases in algal cover have been observed across the region.
How many species are in the Caribbean coral reefs?
Caribbean reefs likely contain about 30,000 described species of all taxa (about 22,000 macroscopic species). Coral reefs are poorly known taxonomically; probably only 5-10% of coral reef species have been described.
Why are the Caribbean coral reefs important?
The fishing and tourism industries are the driving economic forces in the Caribbean and they are dependent upon healthy coral reef ecosystems. Reefs also protect communities against the devastating impacts of climate change , including coastal erosion, flooding and life-threatening hurricanes.
How many animal species are in the Caribbean?
Historically, the Caribbean Islands Hotspot supported 127 terrestrial mammal species, of which 23 are now considered extinct. Today, 25% of the 104 mammal species occurring in the hotspot are globally threatened. The family Capromyidae is the most diverse, with 10 living species, seven of which are found in Cuba.
Is coral a reef?
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals . Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. ... They are most commonly found at shallow depths in tropical waters, but deep water and cold water coral reefs exist on smaller scales in other areas.
What are the different ecosystem services?
- Provisioning Services. When people are asked to identify a service provided by nature, most think of food. Fruits, vegetables, trees, fish, and livestock are available to us as direct products of ecosystems. ...
- Regulating Services. ...
- Cultural Services. ...
- Supporting Services.
What Caribbean islands have biodiversity hotspots?
The Caribbean is a biodiversity hotspot. It has over 11,000 plant species , about 72 of which are found only in this region. Its diverse animal species include many exotic fish and birds. ... The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has been funding a project in the Caribbean to raise awareness of the Protocol.
What are marine and coastal ecosystems?
Marine and coastal ecosystems include estuaries and coastal waters and lands . Within these systems are sensitive habitats, marine sanctuaries, national parks, aquaculture, fisheries, and tourism activities. ... Coastal and marine ecosystems are intimately linked to climate.
What are the four marine ecosystems and how are they classified?
Although there is some disagreement, several types of marine ecosystems are largely agreed on: estuaries, salt marshes, mangrove forests, coral reefs, the open ocean, and the deep-sea ocean . An estuary is a coastal zone where oceans meets rivers.
What organisms in a coral reef are needed to maintain a stable ecosystem?
Even marine worms and snails perform important roles in the reef ecosystem. Worms filter organic matter in the water and sediments, while snails such as limpets and conchs graze on algae. The snails sometimes become food for sea stars—while sea stars can in turn be eaten by giant snails!
What are four types of coastal ecosystems?
Here's a deeper dive into four types of coastal habitat: mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs .
What organisms live in coral reefs?
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 . Coral reefs are also linked ecologically to nearby seagrass, mangrove, and mudflat communities.
What are the 3 main types of ecosystems?
There are three broad categories of ecosystems based on their general environment: freshwater, ocean water, and terrestrial . Within these broad categories are individual ecosystem types based on the organisms present and the type of environmental habitat.
What are the 4 types of ecosystems?
The four ecosystem types are classifications known as artificial, terrestrial, lentic and lotic . Ecosystems are parts of biomes, which are climatic systems of life and organisms. In the biome's ecosystems, there are living and nonliving environmental factors known as biotic and abiotic.
Which of the following is an example of aquatic ecosystem?
Examples of aquatic ecosystem include oceans, lakes and rivers . An aquatic ecosystem includes freshwater habitats like lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans and streams, wetlands, swamp, etc. and marine habitats include oceans, intertidal zone, reefs, seabed and so on.
What are examples of forest ecosystems?
The forest ecosystem includes three main types of forests: tropical rainforests , deciduous forests, and coniferous forests.
What are the types of aquatic ecosystem?
The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems .
What are the 3 types of forest ecosystem?
There are three general types of forest that exist: temperate, tropical, and boreal . Experts estimate that these forests cover approximately one-third of Earth's surface. Temperate forests are found across eastern North America and Eurasia.
What is an ecosystem service example?
Examples of ecosystem services include products such as food and water , regulation of floods, soil erosion and disease outbreaks, and non-material benefits such as recreational and spiritual benefits in natural areas.
What are the ecosystem services of wetlands?
- Habitat and Biodiversity. Nature Tourism. ...
- Recreation. Hunting and Fishing Revenues.
- Nutrient Regulation. Reduced Water Purification Costs.
- Soil and Sediment Regulation. ...
- Disturbance & Natural Hazard Regulation. ...
- Cultural Values and Aesthetics.
- Water Supply. ...
- Food Production.
What is a coral reef for kids?
A coral reef is made up of thousands of tiny animals called coral polyps. ... These tiny animal polyps and algae have grown together to create a large structure called a coral reef. This coral reef is home for thousands of species of plants and animals.
What is coral reef and its types?
The three main types of coral reefs are fringing, barrier, and atoll . ... This type of reef grows seaward directly from the shore. They form borders along the shoreline and surrounding islands. When a fringing reef continues to grow upward from a volcanic island that has sunk entirely below sea level, an atoll is formed.
What are the 4 types of coral reefs?
- Fringing reefs grow near the coastline around islands and continents. ...
- Barrier reefs also parallel the coastline but are separated by deeper, wider lagoons.
Is coral reef plant or animal?
So what exactly are corals? Corals actually comprise an ancient and unique partnership, called symbiosis, that benefits both animal and plant life in the ocean. Corals are animals , though, because they do not make their own food, as plants do.
How do you identify an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is comprised of all the non-living elements and living species in a specific local environment . Components of most ecosystems include water, air, sunlight, soil, plants, microorganisms, insects and animals. Ecosystems may be terrestrial – that is, on land – or aquatic.
What is meant by ecology and ecosystem?
Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework . This science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components such as chemicals, bedrock, soil, plants, and animals.
What is ecosystem diversity?
Ecosystem Diversity can be defined as the variety of different habitats, communities and ecological processes . A biological community is defined by the species that occupy a particular area and the interactions between those species.
What are the effects of agriculture on Caribbean reefs?
Chemicals applied to upland agriculture also make their way down to the reefs via run off from land and rivers. Dredging has many very serious implications for reefs. The most dramatic effects are caused by suspension of silt, sedimentation, turbidity, oxygen reduction and the release of bacteria and toxic matter .
How are the Caribbean coral reefs being protected?
EPA protects coral reefs by implementing Clean Water Act programs that protect water quality in watersheds and coastal zones of coral reef areas.
How does pollution affect coral reefs in the Caribbean?
Periods of slow growth observed in coral reefs in the Caribbean are caused by aerosols in the air from pollution and volcanic activity , recent research suggests. Aerosols cause cooler sea surface temperatures and reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the coral, both of which slow coral growth.
