Coral Reef The Ocean Floor

Reef tanks are an attempt to recreate a wild coral reef and providing all the things that corals need to thrive.

Coral reef the ocean floor. This abundance of creatures that are dependent on a specific structure has given coral the nickname the rainforest of the seas. The national park service has ten parks with coral reefs. 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 most coral reefs are built from stony corals whose polyps cluster in groups. 2012 costanza et al.

Corals in captivity are mostly housed in reef tanks. Scientists estimate that more than one million species of plants and animals are associated with coral reef ecosystems. Coral reefs cover less than 1 percent of the ocean floor all the reefs combined would equal an area of about 110 000 square miles 285 000 square km only about the size of the state of nevada. Despite covering less than 1 percent of the ocean floor coral reefs are home to 25 percent of all fish species.

Coral reefs are one of earth s most diverse ecosystems. Coral belongs to the class anthozoa in the animal phylum cnidaria which includes sea anemones and jellyfish unlike sea anemones corals secrete hard carbonate. But coral reefs only occupy less than one tenth of one percent of the ocean floor. They provide significant ecological economic and societal benefits valued globally at about usd 9 8 trillion each year de groot et al.

Some coral reefs are so large they are even visible from outer space. At their base is a hard protective limestone skeleton called a calicle which forms the structure of coral reefs. And the variety of species living on coral reefs is greater than almost anywhere else in the world. Reefs begin when a polyp attaches itself to a rock on the sea floor then divides.

Fish harvested from coral reefs feed tens of millions of people in developing countries and reef related fishing trade and tourism generates up to 30 billion annually accounting for more than 15 percent of the gdp of 23 nations. Coral reefs only take up about 1 of the ocean floor but host an estimated 25 of all ocean species. Offering vibrant colors and the greatest biodiversity of any marine ecosystem on the planet. Coral reefs are amazing habitats.