NAME: BHOLA KAMBLE
VIBRANT CORAL
REEFS
URN: 2021-B-01082003A
GUIDED BY: PROF. SUBJECT:
RAVINDRA PATIL ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE
CLASS: BCA (DS)
SEMESTER: IV
VIBRANT CORAL
REEFS
A rainbow of colors, these corals on Jackson Reef in the
Red Sea support a myriad of aquatic life including
hammerhead and tiger sharks, sea turtles, and the
vibrant orange lyretail anthias
I M P O RTA N C E O F
CORAL REEFS
Coral reefs are important ocean habitats and offer
a compelling case of the risks of climate change. Reefs provide a
large fraction of Earth’s biodiversity—they have been called “the
rain forests of the seas.” Scientists estimate that 25 percent of
all marine species live in and around coral reefs, making them
one of the most diverse habitats in the world.
REEFS ARE
INVALUABLE
• Reefs are invaluable to our planet’s biodiversity. “They act as productive
nurseries to many fish species, giving the small fish a home and a chance to
grow,” he says. “Coral reefs’ diversity is so rich that we do not have a firm
count on all the species that live within it and every year discover new
species.”
• Reefs provide a variety of economic benefits,
including recreational activities, tourism, coastal protection, habitat for
commercial fisheries, and preservation of marine ecosystems.
HOW THEY ARE
USEFUL TO US ?
• Corals are important to us for many reasons, From a practical point of view, they
can help protect coastlines from storm events, for instance, and help maintain
fisheries that are essential to a lot of people. And complex compounds found
in coral reefs hold promises in modern medicine. These are what we
call ecosystem services that would be very difficult and expensive to replace.
• They also have a unique ability to inspire us to explore and visit the ocean. Can
you think of any other invertebrate that people would come from afar just to
see?”
Corals live with algae in a type of relationship called symbiosis.
This means the organisms cooperate with each other.
The algae, called zooxanthellae, live inside the corals, which
provide a tough outer shell made from calcium carbonate. In
return for that protection, the algae provide their host
SYMBIOSIS with food produced through photosynthesis. Zooxanthellae
also provide corals with their striking colors.
This symbiotic relationship is strongly dependent on the
temperature of the surrounding water. As the water warms,
zooxanthellae are expelled from a coral’s tissue, causing it to
lose its color and a major source of food. This process is
known as “coral bleaching.”
CORAL
BLEACHING
• Coral bleaching does not always mean the
death of a coral reef. Corals can recover their
zooxanthellae in time, but the process
requires cooler temperatures.
• Warmer ocean water also becomes
more acidic. Ocean acidification is
OCEAN making it more difficult for corals to
build their hard exoskeletons. In
ACIDIFICAT Australia’s Great Barrier Reef,
coral calcification has declined 14.2
ION percent since 1990—a large, rapid
decline that hasn’t been seen for 400
years.
• Ocean acidification also occurs
because of rising carbon dioxide (CO2)
levels. The ocean absorbs carbon
dioxide released into the
atmosphere. Carbon dioxide alters the
chemistry of seawater by reducing pH,
a measure of acidity. Water that has a
lower pH is more acidic.
