This blog is
all about how the environment in which coral reefs exist is being altered, and
how this in turn affects the coral reefs, and then how in turn this will impact
the world as a whole.
Coral reefs.
Beautiful natural structures. They are found all over the world, mainly in
tropical and sub-tropical oceans. Millions of tourists flock to sunnier climes
year on year to glimpse coral reefs, and the marine life that lives in and
around these reefs. But what actually is coral?
Well, it is
commonly mistaken as rock, when in fact it is actually an animal. It is easy to
see why they are mistaken as rock, as they lay down a calcium carbonate
substrate to attach themselves to the sea floor. They are marine invertebrates
of the phylum Cnidaria. They are made up of tiny polyps, and lots of these
little polyps will make up a reef. Each polyp is a single cylindrical cavity,
with a tenticled mouth. Also, they are sessile, which means they do not possess
a means of self-locomotion.
Corals are
very delicate. They are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and the
acidity of oceans. The way in which they feed is through various types of microscopic
algae, known as Symbiodinium. These live inside the coral and help with
feeding, through photosynthesis. This is why corals can be found in shallow
waters, as they need the sun’s rays to survive.
Reefs can be
found throughout the Western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans, as shown on
Figure 1 (from NASA). However, in recent years, coral reefs have been exposed
to a manner of different problems, and now they are in danger of being lost
forever.
So what are
the threats to coral reefs, and how have these threats come about? It has to be
said, the majority of the problems facing coral reefs is as a result of
anthropogenic activities. These include overfishing, rising temperatures due to
extreme levels of co2 as a result of fossil fuel combustion, mining, pollution (which
limits the ability of the coral to photosynthesise) and many others. Some of
these factors have resulted in oceans becoming more acidic, higher in
pollutants, warmer, all of which is having a pronounced effect on the coral
reefs. I will go into more detail on these different factors in future posts. I
will then put up some posts on how the coral reefs can be protected, and how we
can all help to ensure their longevity.
