Definition Of Coral Reef Ecosystem

They are also vital to maintaining food supply and protecting the shoreline of low lying island nations.

Definition of coral reef ecosystem. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals whose polyps cluster in groups. The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species that interact with each other and the physical environment. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Coral reefs are well known as some of the most beautiful biologically diverse and delicate ecosystems in the world.

What is a coral reef. Most coral reefs form in warm shallow sea waters and rise to or near the surface generally in the form of a barrier reef fringing reef or atoll. Coral polyps the animals primarily responsible for building reefs can take many forms. Coral reefs are one of the most important ecosystems in the world and have been called the rainforests of the sea owing to the diverse range of plants and animals that they support.

Through photosynthesis phytoplankton algae and other plants convert light energy into chemical energy. Large reef building colonies graceful flowing fans and even small solitary organisms. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. They are made up not only of hard and soft corals but also sponges crustaceans mollusks fish sea turtles sharks dolphins and much more.

Coral reef ecosystem is a community which has interaction between living and non living organisms around coral reefs. Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth rivaled only by tropical rain forests. Coral reefs are made up of calcium carbonate. Nevertheless unep estimates that about 25 to 50 per cent of the world s coral reefs have been destroyed and another 60 per cent are under threat.

Some live in warm shallow tropical seas and others in the cold dark depths of the ocean. A coral reef is a ridge or a mound of limestone whose upper surface is near the surface of the sea. The last glacial period marked the formation of coral reefs when melting ice caused the sea levels to rise and flood the continental plates. Thousands of species of corals have been discovered.

The sun is the initial source of energy for this ecosystem.