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How do sharks effect coral reefs?
Well Firstly, the fish hide in the coral reefs to get away from sharks. However, the sharks know where the fish are and so visit the Reefs. When the sharks try to nose into the coral they find that they're too big to fit into it. But still, they persist and so end up squashing the coral.
Do chambered nautilus still exist?
yes.in the coral reefs at the pacific ocean.
What does a fringing coral reef look like?
These are the ridges or mounds in shallow sea derived from some stony corals (A type of marine animals belonging to phylum Cnedaria) these reefs are easily navigable that is ships can enter in these reefs there are still other types of reefs also as barrier reefs and atolls which are not navigable.
Did fish make the Great Barrier Reef?
no, the great barrier reef is the biggest coral reef in the world and started as all coral reefs did, with a small bit of coral. it has since grown heaps and is still growing.
How many lifeforms can a coral reef support?
Coral reefs are only rivaled by the immense ecosystem of the rainforests. Lifeforms are in the millions, and there is still so much of the ocean that we haven't seen yet.
Is a Coral reef an fish?
No. Corals are living creatures, but still--not fish. Coral reefs are structures or formations in the ocean that have a composition similar to bone. They are slowly created by living organisms. Reefs are habitat for many sea creatures and plants among other things. Unfortunately, they are in danger mostly because of people's carelessness and contamination.
Which is a characteristic of coral reefs?
high biodiversity
How many animals live in the coral reef?
About 30,000 to 60,000 have been described or identified.
How are coral and limestone formed?
Coral reefs are built by millions of coral polyps, small colonial animals resembling overturned jellyfish. They excrete an exoskeleton made of calcium carbonate, which forms their distinctive shapes as a colony. Thousands of coral colonies build up over time to form the reef. After an extensive period of time, the reef may die off, perhaps because the conditions of the environment change for the worse for the corals. Since reefs often form in conditions where there is a lot of water movement (because the water is more oxygenated in these areas), if the colony is no longer being sustained by living polyps the colonies break up. Reefs can still break up when the coral is still alive if the conditions are severe. Sedimentation and cementation occurs as calcium carbonate precipitates out of the water and of the exoskeletons of the coral.
How much of the world do Coral Reefs cover?
Less than 1%. I hope that wasn't a question in your homework. The previous answer was ridiculously wrong! I did the math, and they cover nearly 7%. Check it for yourself - the surface area of the world is 510 million square kilometres, and the surface area of the oceans is 361 million square kilometres. Coral reefs cover nearly 10% of the ocean's total area. 36.1 million over 510 million x 100 gives you just over 7%, but the real figure is slightly less because coral reefs account for NEARLY 10% of the ocean's surface area. Even if it was 9.5% of the ocean's area, coral reefs still cover over 6.7% of the world's total surface area. Hope this helps!
How do the tiny animals that live on coral reefs feed and what can possibly eat them?
Coral reefs need three things to survive. They need warm water, sunlight, and clear, shallow waters. Coral will not grow in waters that are lower than 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius). Sunlight and clear, shallow water is needed so that the zooxanthellae in their tissue can photosynthesize. The zooxanthellae transfers some food energy directly to the coral's polyps. If waters are too deep or too murky, the zooxanthellae will not get enough light to photosynthesize. Photosynthesis is a process that plants go through to make their own sugars and starches. Even though coral is not a plant, it still photosynthesizes to store the energy that it gets from the sugar and starch. This is why you usually don't find coral below 100 meters (330 feet) deep.Coral reefs are facing many threats, both by nature and mankind. Hurricanes and storms are quickly destroying large portions of many coral reefs. Other sea animals such as fish, snails, worms, and starfish are eating many areas of the reefs. Humans also have a huge impact on coral reefs being destroyed. In a number of ways, we are destroying the reefs without realizing it.Pollution is one way people are destroying coral reefs. Pollution can kill reefs from poisons and heavy metals. The pollution enters the ocean by oil spills, acid rain, dumping of hazardous waste, exhaust pollution from boats, jet skis, and many more sources. The pollution enters the coral through the polyps, and the heavy metals from the pollution can kill the animals. When the polyps are killed, it harms the coral because they are what build the coral. Without them there is no new coral. Everything dies after that. This happens because the polyps are the coral. If there were no polyps or maybe even fewer polyps, the coral would die because there would be an empty part in the coral. The polyps' skeletons are what gives the coral its jagged edges and rough surface.Global warming is another way we are harming coral reefs. Global warming is the warming of the surface of the earth or when the earth's temperature rises to a temperature that is not normal. Oceans cover over 70% of the land on earth. This means there is a lot of heat created by global warming that is stored in the oceans. This causes the water to evaporate, which leaves the coral above the water. The coral will not be able to breathe above the water and will eventually die.More than a quarter of the earth's coral reefs have been destroyed by pollution, global warming, and poor fishing practices. Fishermen may use spear guns, which can damage the coral, commercial poisons, and sometimes dynamite for fishing. Overfishing in the coral reef area can cause damage to food chains around the reefs also. We already have a huge effect on coral, but it takes a while before our actions harms the reefs. Our actions won't stop until we do something about it.This algae absorbs and converts sunlight into energy. This energy is needed to feed the life found in a reef ecosystem. Pollution or climate change is a common cause of the loss of the algae. Because of this, the reef is being left "bleached" and not able to produce energy from sunlight. You can tell when a reef is bleached because large areas of the reef turn white. This will affect the food chain because it will kill the polyps that live in that area. There will then be fewer polyps, and whichever larger animals eats these will not be able to eat. This will cause them to have to change food, and by doing this they may die out and put a dent in the food chain.When people damage coral reefs, they are also disturbing the home and food of other animals. Many animals under the sea have made the coral reefs their place to settle. When the coral is destroyed, then these animals have no place to live. When the coral is destroyed, it also affects the food that animals eat. It is not a good thing for the animals to eat the coral, but the animals still need food to eat, so they do that anyway. When the coral is killed, the animals that eat the polyps have less to eat, so they will have to change foods. This is not always good for the animal, and they may eventually die.
What cycles go on in coral reefs?
Marine Biologists are still studying the coral reefs and are always finding new things. The cycles that go on are so varied and numerous that it would take several years to report on all the different cycles. Many books have already been written and there will undoubtedly be many more. Suffice it to say that basically there is the same cycle of life that goes on everywhere. Fertilisation, embrio, growth, sexual maturity, death, decomposition.
