Coral Reefs By:Aya

Where is it located in the world? The red shows where the coral reef is located on the world.

Animals that live in it: Reef Fish: Of the several types of vertebrate animals commonly found on coral reefs, fishes are the only group normally present in great abundance and diversity. Hundreds or even thousands of different species may be found in some of the larger reef ecosystems. They are abundant in all three major reef zones, from the lagoon shoreline to the deepest reaches of the fore reef. animals.html animals.html

Sea Turtle: Sea turtles Of the seven recognized species of sea turtles, three are regular or occasional visitors to coral reefs in some parts of the world. On both Indo-Pacific and Caribbean reefs, the species most often seen resting on the reef proper is the Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata, a species that also feeds in the lagoon or back reef zone of coral reef ecosystems. Hawksbill turtles have been heavily overexploited for their meat and shells, and are listed by the IUCN as "critically endangered". IUCN

Sea Snake Sea snakes are found only in the Indo-Pacific region (excluding the Red Sea). There are more than 60 recognized species, but of these only a relative few are common residents of coral reef areas. Sea snakes have evolved from terrestrial snakes, and like all reptiles are air breathers. Adaptations for aquatic life include paddle-like tails and laterally compressed bodies, both of which enhance swimming ability. Many sea snake species are highly venomous, and should never be closely approached or threatened by coral reef divers or snorkelers.

Plants There are 3 main plants that grow in the coral reefs they are Marine 2. Reef-building corals require warm ocean temperatures (68 to 82 F, or 20 to 28 C). Warm water flows along the eastern shores of major land masses.

Marine Algae Marine Algae: Within those parts of coral reef ecosystems where most hard coral growth is found (the reef face and reef crest), plant life exists only in the form of marine algae. Most of this algal growth exists in the form of tiny microalgae. Macroalgae is also present, but in terms of biomass macroalgae is a relatively minor component of the plant life of healthy reefs. The singular exception to this generality are the coralline algae, a specialized type of macroscopic red algae that actually helps build coral reefs and is a generally present in considerable amounts. It is this type of algae that often forms a prominent algal ridge on the perimeter reefs of oceanic atolls. Marine algae forms a major link in coral reef food chains; many coral reef fishes and invertebrate animals utilize algae as their primary food source.

Sea Grass Sea Grass: Like mangroves, the distribution of sea grasses is restricted to the protected waters of the lagoon, where they form a highly productive (and often extensive) habitat-type that supports a broad diversity of other forms of animal and plant life. Sea grass meadows can form critical nursery grounds for reef fishes, conch, spiny lobster and other commercially valuable.

Mangroves Mangroves: Mangroves are shoreline plants, and thus are often (except on fringing reefs) quite distant from the main biomass of hard corals that form the massive reef crest and fore reef. However, when present these plants have the capacity to considerably enhance the abundance and diversity of reef fishes and other types of marine life throughout the coral reef ecosystem. A more thorough treatment of mangroves and seagrasses is provided on our page on the "back reef zone", which discusses mangrove forests and seagrass meadows as coral reef habitat types unto themselves.

What is the Temperature there? The temperature in the coral reef is 68 to 82 F, or 20 to 28 C.

Medicine Habitat Home to more than 1 million diverse aquatic species, including thousands of fish species Medicine: Medicine: Potential treatments for many of the world's most prevalent and dangerous illnesses and diseases.

How has science helped to discover the resources that we can use? ???????

Oil Spills Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico in the year It happened On April 20 th ana-oil-spill-2010_n_ html ana-oil-spill-2010_n_ html

How has use of natural resources affected the environment, economics (money) or society The affect on the environment, that oil spills ruin the coral reefs because a healthy coral reefs equals a healthy world. The affect on the money side coral reefs can be able to be bought and sold. The affect on the society that fishes die and the food web gets broken and the fishes harm the coral reefs.

The END! The End