Coral reefs why important

Any diver can tell you that coral reefs are beautiful. They are like undersea cities, filled with colorful fish, intricate formations and wondrous sea creatures. The importance of coral reefs, however, extends far beyond the pleasure it brings to those who explore it.

Coral reefs play an essential role in everything from water filtration and fish reproduction to shore line protection and erosion prevention. Reefs play an important role in protecting the shoreline from storms and surge water. Barrier reefs help stabilize mangroves and seagrass beds, which can easily be uprooted by large waves and h6 currents. Erosion prevention is particularly important in coastal areas such as the Florida Keys, where much of the shore is lined with residential homes and commercial buildings.

As the foundation for complex food webs, coral reefs support an incredible diversity of fish. Algae, soft coral, sponges and invertebrates create the base of this web. From small herbivorous fish to large predatory fish, all find food and protection on the reef. Along side reef fish is an equally diverse array of marine crustaceans, reptiles and mammals. Coastal protection Reefs occupy only a tiny part of the seabed: less than 0. A food resource More than million people live within 10 kilometers of a coastline and less than 30 kilometers from reefs.

Of economic importance As a result of direct revenues from fishing, reefs provide a resource and services that are worth billions of dollars each year. A medical future Deprived to a very large extent of any possibility of movement, corals have developed an arsenal of very effective chemical weapons to defend themselves and fight in the conquest of reef space. We use cookies to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember you. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our privacy policy.

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These structures provide shelter for many organisms such as fish, marine worms, clams and many other animals and plants that all play a vital role in the coral reef ecosystem. Coral reefs are important for a variety of reasons which we will discuss below. Coral reefs are often thought of as a busy city; the buildings being made of coral and the thousands of organisms inhabiting this city acting like the humans interacting with each other and performing daily jobs.

Coral reefs provide protection and shelter to nearly one-quarter of all known marine species and have evolved into one of the largest and most complex ecosystems known to humans. Coral reefs are home to over 4, species of fish , species of coral and thousands of other plants and animals.

This diversity of species provides a large gene pool giving communities more resilience during extreme environmental conditions and climate change. This is important to the overall health of an ecological community. With greater species diversity, the impact of losing any one species to extinction will be less. The enormous diversity of coral reef organisms also provides potential for new medicines or other products that may be developed from biochemicals that these organisms produce.

Most coral reef organisms have not been studied for their potential benefits to medicine and industry. Coral reefs act as a natural barrier protecting coastal beaches, cities, and communities from the waves of the ocean.