Are coral reefs highly productive

Answer 1

yes. although coral reefs happens in the tropics where there are low productivity due to less nutrients (the thermocline happens deep due to high temperatures -> the stratification causes the nutrients to be in the lower part of the stratification. unless there is stratification mixing and upwelling, the nutrients will not come up to the surface , fyi ), the organisms living in the coral reefs ( please search how the coral reefs form to fully understand ) are so efficient in using there energy which makes the

coral reef the most productive place in the world.

Briefly, the algae (zooxantallae) living in the cups of the hard cover corals (mutualism) photosynthesize and give oxygen and nutrients to the coral needed

for survival and creating thick shells. the waste product of corals do not go to waste

and serve as a nutrient for other species (which is why coral reef's productivity highly depend on the coral itself and this is why coral bleaching is a serious indication of the ecosystem going bad) and the nutrients never go to waste. every energy is saved and feeds other organisms.

this efficiency makes the coral reef the most productive place on earth.