The Rainforests of Our Oceans Essay -- Marine Biology

The first thing that comes to mind when we cipher of coral reefs is either an image of Nemo swimming through those finger-like plants in the marine or a jumble of those plants we see on postcards and on television, persuasion that one of them ( precisely which one?) must be a coral reef. On the contrary, however, coral reefs are far from being plants but are in fact, an ecosystem filled with corals, both hard and soft, and endless reef species. The coral itself is make of many coral polyps, delicate limestone-secreting animals, which serve as a physical body for the coral. The impact of these reefs on both marine life and humans is immense, but as of today, we have lost almost twenty to twenty-five per centum of the worlds coral reefs and about another sixty portion are being threatened by human activities. Consequently, coral reefs should be protected because they benefit us greatly, both economically and biologically, and if we leave them unprotected, we confront numerous con sequences that will be detrimental to both our economy and the biodiversity of the ocean. though coral reefs dont seem like much, its infeasible to deny the importance of the roles they serve as indicators of the salinity of water and its alimentary levels in our coastal watersheds and oceans. Because corals can only survive in give notice and unpolluted tropical or sub-tropical waters that have a comparatively normal salinity and that are low in nutrient levels (Thurman), they tending local resource managers to understand how activities on land impacts the reefs and to identify changes in water quality, which is a major benefit to us because the reefs are qualified to detect even the slightest change in water that some of the outperform manmade technologies can miss (U.S. EPA). They also act as mo... ...ier-reef.html.Talbot F., and Wilkinson, C., 2001, Coral Reefs, Mangroves and Seagrasses A Sourcebook for Managers. 29 bungle 2012. Print.Thurman, H.V. Essentials of Oceanogr aphy Coral Reefs. 4th Edition. New York Macmillan Publishing, 1993. 336-341. Print.U.S. EPA, . weewee Habitat Protection. Coral Reef Protection What Are Coral Reefs?. linked States Environmental Protection Agency, 06 Mar 2012. Web. 25 Mar 2012. .U.S. EPA, . Water Oceans, Coasts, Estuaries & Beaches. coastal Watershed Factsheets - Coral Reefs and Your Coastal Watershed. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 06 Mar 2012. Web. 25 Mar 2012..Zubi, Teresa. ECOLOGY Reefs at Risk. . N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 26 Mar 2012. .