By Olivia Taylor

Coral Reefs are found in tropical regions around the equator

They tend to be clustered towards the eastern ends of each ocean basin

They are located in warm ocean waters

ProducersSeaweed

Secondary ConsumersButterfly Fish

Primary ConsumersSea Urchin

Tertiary ConsumersBarracuda

Coral Reefs are large wave resistant structures that have accumulated from the slow growth of corals. The

development of these structures is aided by algae that are symbiotic with reef-building corals, known as

zooxanthellae. Coralline algae, sponges, and other organisms, combined with a number of cementation

processes also contribute to reef growth.

Coral reefs are found almost exclusively in the seas and oceans between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. In this region, water temperatures are warm and

stable year-round (64 - 86 degrees Fahrenheit, 18-30 degrees Celsius), and longer days bathe the waters with

sunlight.

The reef is topographically complex. Much like a rain forest, it has many strata and areas of strong shade, cast

by the overtowering coral colonies. Because of the complexity, thousands of species of fish and

invertebrates live in association with reefs, which are by far our richest marine habitats. It is not unusual for a reef to have several hundred species of snails, sixty species of corals, and several hundred species of fish. Of all ocean

habitats, reefs seem to have the greatest development of complex symbiotic associations.

Coral reef ecosystems support a variety of human needs. They are important for subsistence, fisheries, tourism,

shoreline protection, and yield compounds that are important in the development of new medicines. They

have been used in the treatment of cancer, HIV, cardiovascular diseases, ulcers, and other ailments.

Human activities such as trampling, destructive fishing techniques (e.g., poison, dynamite), and anchoring can

physically destroy or kill the coral, resulting in reef death. Upland activities such as deforestation and fertilizer use can smother and kill downstream corals. Estimates are

that 20% of the world’s coral reefs have been effectively destroyed in the last few decades and an additional 20%

or more are severely degraded, particularly in the Caribbean Sea and Southeast Asia.

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