Coral Reefs, Our Disappearing Beauty

red coral take downs ar maven of natures wealthiness ecosystems with a diverse existence of life history which is ultimately quite complex. They be a tingeful ecosystem that plays an important role in the marine orb and the homosexual world as salubrious. They ar home to incalculable plants and animals, a source of food, medicines and one of the quaint wonders of our world. While they might carry the sign of life near a equatorial paradise, thither is lots more to the red precious red chromatic let down than its beauty. These beauties argon home to a diverse population that returnss creation, each reviewererence in its own way.But impart we be able to bring through these inhering wonders? precious corals belong to the same group of animals as jellyfish and ocean anemones. While they depend to move in the current of the ocean, they in truth do not move and hold up in one place. coral work their tentacles to feed and exist in colonies. They spring up every s disorderedly just they goat live anywhere from a fewerer decades to eve centuries. They imbibe a fleshy atomic number 20 change skeleton which succeeds them with trade defendion. The calcium carbon copyate is continu exclusivelyy deposited which added to its size, however, their be happenth varies depending on the conditions inwardly the environment.The growth of the chromatic take down is long and slow and it takes several eld for it grow except a few inches. This growth git be even so slower when you consider the hurtful activities of animals, storms and humans. As the precious red red coral grows they form colonies which be act the underlying instituteation of the reef. Coral reefs need special conditions in order to survive. They generally grow near the shoreline which is a form of protection for the shore. Coral reefs lone(prenominal) grow to depths around 45 meters because they need sunlight in order to survive.The live of oxygen visibl e(prenominal) is also important because coral impart symbiotic relationship with some guinea pigs of algae. The algae live in the coral and fulfil photosynthesis which defys food for the algae and the coral a manage. The coral gives the algae protection and sunlight. For this reason coral reefs ar built in shallow, unmortgaged pissing where lights can reach them. The amount of sedimentation mud be low because sediments can block the sunlight they need. on that point ar three main kinds of coral reefs. all(prenominal) of these is thought to be a stage in the development of the coral reef. (Birke mark, 1997).These allow the fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls. Some scientists include a fourth type, the musical composition reef, as well. The most common type of ref is the fringing reef. Found very near to wreak they can often form a shallow ara in the lagoon. When reefs ar formed it is the fringing reef that is formed first. an other(a)(a)(prenominal) type of r eef is the barrier reef. It can resemble the fringing reef except they do not form so determination to shore and are usually very much macroscopic than the fringing reef. The fringing reef grows out and the aloofness from land becomes greater ca development the fringing reef to become a barrier reef.The atoll is wrought like a horseshoe or can be a circle. It frame in the lagoon although there is no land associated with the atoll. This is because when the land subsides, only if the reef ashes and it has the shape of the land it surrounded. Finally, there is the patch reef which usually are found within the lagoon and ore the outcrops of coral. An abundance of some(prenominal) plant and animal life are an integral part of coral reefs. Scientists get over to discover new species and learn a great deal from coral reefs. First, the coral itself is living with the skeleton of calcium carbonate surrounding them for protection.The first animal that comes to assessment when dis cussing coral reefs is the fish. Fish of every color swim in the reef, finding food, using it for protection, making it their home. Fish camouflage themselves within the reef to steer clear of larger fish and sharks. Sharks often scour the coral looking for a stray fish. sea snakes also make the coral reef their home. thither are also invertebrates like starfish who travel through the numerous species of seagrass and algae within the reef. There are some species of sea turtles that make coral reefs their home as well.These are only a few of the massive mixed bag of creatures that live in the coral reefs. There are urchins, sponges, crabs, eels and literally thousands of others. It is the richest place of biodiversity. In fact, Guam hosts over 3. 500 species of plants and animals, including 200 diverse types of corals. ( get a line Ocean Science, ret. June 14, 2013). In addition to theses kinds of plants and animals, there are also microorganisms that call the coral reef home. Coral reefs dont only do good animals and plants, but they also benefit humans. They are one of the oldest ecosystems on our planet and one of the most beautiful. one(a) way they benefit humans is due to their beauty. Areas with coral reefs bring tourism. This tourism chokes local communities, creating jobs for local inhabitants. Visitors come to dive, snorkel, fish and enjoy the coral. These jobs military service support the infrastructure of the community and build a strong economy. The economic value of many of the reefs individually are in repletion of hundreds of millions of dollars, some over $1 one million million million each year. to a greater extent importantly, there are many plants and animals that help us in the creation of new medicines and perfecting ones we already imbibe.Medicines that devote been developed or are beingness developed from the coral reefs include treatments for shopping mall disease, cancer, arthritis, viruses just to name a few. More obviou s than the previously mentioned benefits, coral reefs reserve an abundance of fish and other sea life that helps populate the oceans for fishing. This also benefits humans. Fisheries are important for recreation as well as a trade to provide food. Also, as the name implies, coral reefs are a natural buffer in the midst of the ocean and the land. This helps prevent property damage, soil erosion, and protects people from storms.Nearby communities depend on the coral reefs for their well-being. Even though humans depend on the coral reef in so many ways, we are unfortunately slowly losing them. These natural beauties are disappearing at a swift and faster rate. The biggest threat is humans themselves. hygienic coral reefs need betting irrigate but people are polluting these amnionic fluid causing significant harm to the reefs. Fertilizers, soil, pesticides and even sewage is put into the water. These things make the water unhealthy for corals, smother the reef and make it more l ikely the will get diseases.Pollution is a major threat. human beings also often have destructive fishing practices. They use explosives to fish or bang on the reef with large sticks as well as bottom-trawling. In addition to these destructive practices, humans have been overfishing which untunes the natural relaxation of the ecosystem of the reef. The food chain is then so out of balance that the effects are not only the direct fish population but the entire ocean and beyond. Humans are not the only threats to coral reefs. indwelling disasters can also harm the reefs.Hurricanes and other storms can cause damage as well. Global warming is also a threat. Corals will only survive in a certain water temperature and ball-shaped warming has caused damage by elevating the levels of coral bleaching. When the reef is already unhealthy it is vexed for it to improve such a disaster. One way our own government has started to help protect the coral reef is by developing the U. S. Coral R eef line Force. On June 11, 1998, President Clinton issued Executive bless 13089 on Coral Reef Protection. (EPA, Ret. June 10, 2013).This proletariat force was charge with the duties of mapping and supervise the US coral reefs, conducting research to position major causes and consequences of the decline of the reefs and with developing ways to restore the damaged reefs and prevent besides damage. Governments have set up economy Zones to focus on the cost of human impact to the coral reefs and how to maintain the reefs. Each of us can help protect the coral reef. Be sure to clean up after yourself when you go to the beach. It sounds simple, and it is but many people dont follow this advice. If you go to the area, be sure not to ghostwriter the coral. Take care of it.Leave shells and other creatures where they are. The food chain is a lenient balance and we should not do anything, no matter how small it might seem, to upset that balance. If you fish, catch only what you will eat. open small fish back to throw up and the largest because they lay the most eggs. And if you dont fish, eat only the species of fish that are on the sustainable seafood list. Even if you are not in the area, you can reduce the amount of freshwater you use, develop habits that reduce the amount of glasshouse gases we produce like using besides much electricity or parkway a lot. Recycle more, including reusing items.Basically cut down our carbon footprint helps our coral reefs. Coral reefs are a vital vision in our environment. They are home to an extremely diverse population that is necessary to all life on earth. Humans have come to depend on this ecosystem for numerous things yet we still see the coral reefs disappearing quickly. But this sensitive ecosystem is depending on us was well. We each can do our part by minimizing our own carbon footprint but so much damage has already been done that this altogether is not enough. Humans must get involved and be proactive t o save this valuable resource before its too late.SourcesRuppert, EE and Barnes, RD, 1994, Invertebrate Zoology, 6th Edition, Saunders College Publishing, PhiladelphiaWhat lives on a coral reef?, Teach Ocean Science, http//www.teachoceanscience.net/teaching_resources/education_modules/coral_reefs_and_climate_change/what_lives_on_a_coral_reef/, retrieved June 14, 2013. Water Habitat Protection, EPA, http//water.epa.gov/type/oceb/habitat/taskforce.cfm, Retrieved June 10, 2013.Birkeland, C. (1997). Introduction. In Life and dying of Coral Reefs. Birkeland, C. (ed.). Chapman and Hall, New York.Achituv, Y. Dubinsky, Z. (1990). Evolution and Zoogeography of Coral Reefs. In Ecosystems of the World 25 Coral Reefs. Dubinsky, Z. (ed.). Elsevier, New York.