Coral reefs are one of the world’s hidden treasures. In a coral reef, you can find anything from plants to certain types of animals. Some of the coral that you might see can be dangerous and fatal to humans. While some coral reefs are dangerous, others aren’t. There are a lot of things in a coral reef and many topics worth being discussed, but only three topics will be touched on throughout this paper. The first topic is the food web within the coral reefs; the second topic being discussed will be the different types of coral reefs; the third topic to be discussed will be where coral reefs can be found.
Food webs within coral reefs are divided up into four different groups. Starting with the top predators, secondary consumers, primary consumers, and finally producers. The top predators consist of animals such as sharks, large fish, seals, rays, squid and octopi. The top predator within this group is the shark, they eat everything else to keep the food web balanced. The secondary consumers, also known as carnivores, consist of larger fish, sting rays, octopi, and squid. The primary consumers, also known as herbivores, consist of thousands of fish, zooplankton, microscopic organisms, shrimp, clams, and crustaceans.
The producers, also known as plants, consists of phytoplankton, seaweed, and seagrass. The producers provide energy within the coral reefs. Coral reefs can be determined by either the size or the shape of the reef; it also can be determined if the reef is near land or not. The first kind of coral reef are fringing reefs, or shore reefs. These reefs grow directly off the shore. A shore reef is the most common kind of reef. Even though these reefs are grown near the shore, human impact can cause harm. These types of reefs can be found surrounding pacific islands.
The second kind of reef that can be formed is a barrier reef; this reef is grown linear to the shore, but is usually separated by a lagoon. These types of reefs are less common than the others. An example of a barrier reef is The Great Barrier Reef, which is located off the coast of Australia. The third type of is known as atoll. This type of reef is circular and is often found above a huge lagoon in the deep ocean. These reefs are located in the IndoPacific region and a better example of one can be found in the French Polynesia.
Some people might think that a coral reef can be found anywhere in the ocean, but they would be wrong because coral reefs don’t grow everywhere. The reefs are less likely to be found in the ocean with a warm climate because they are sensitive to temperature change. If the temperature is too high for a long period of time, the reefs can lose their zooxanthellae. That causes the coral to lose its color and turn white. When coral is white it’s also known as bleached coral. When coral is bleached it has less strength. Since the Earth is getting warmer, bleached coral will be seen in coral reefs more often.
The oceans have absorbed more than one-third of the carbon dioxide put off by humans. When carbon dioxide is released into the ocean, less pH is found. When less pH is found in the ocean, something known as ocean acidification occurs, meaning the ocean is more acidic than it should be. With ocean acidification the coral can not get any of the calcium carbonate that it needs. Calcium carbonate helps the coral maintain their skeleton. Not only does it make the coral have its shape, it also makes the coral have its color. The ocean acidification is dissolving the coral.
The acidity in the ocean has increased by 30% since 1751. If humans don’t stop polluting as much as we do now, all of the coral will die. If the coral dies, that may cause many animals to die because they lost their habitat. Coral reefs are many things, but most importantly they are a very important habitat for most ocean life. The food web is one of the quality things about a coral reef; without the shark, its food web would be off balance. Even though coral reefs are located in different areas within the ocean and they are different shapes and sizes, the food web remains the same.
Among the different types of coral reefs, fringing reefs or shore reefs are the most common. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s secret treasures; without it the world wouldn’t have the underwater beauty that it holds. Unfortunately, climate change could affect the loss of coral reefs and the ocean wouldn’t be what it is today. Not only can climate change affect the life of a coral reef, but a human’s touch can damage it too. Just think of a coral reef as a house to humans; the humans would want to maintain the reef just like they maintain their houses. With that being said, protect the coral reefs.