Page 21 - Coral Reef Teachers Guide

Coral Reef Teacher’s Guide Life on the Coral Reef

Life on the Coral Reef

THE CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM The muddy silt drifts out to sea, covering the nearby

Coral reefs provide the basis for the most productive coral reefs. Some corals can remove the silt, but many

shallow water ecosystem in the world. An ecosystem cannot. If the silt is not washed off within a short pe‐

is a group of living things, such as coral, algae and riod of time by the current, the polyps suffocate and
fishes, along with their non‐livind as rocks, water, and die. Not only the rainforest is destroyed, but also the
sand neighboring coral reef.
Reef Zones
Each influences the other, and both are necessary for
the successful maintenance of life. If one is thrown out
of balance by either natural or human‐made is serious‐ Coral reefs are not uniform, but are shaped by the forc‐
ly threatened. es of the sea and the structure of the sea floor into a se‐
DID YOU KNOW? ries of different parts or reef zones. Understand‐ ing
these zones is useful in understanding the ecol‐ ogy of
All of the Earth’s ecosystems are interrelated, forming coral reefs. Keep in mind that these zones can blend
a shell of life that covers the entire planet – the bio-
gradually into one another, and that sometimes a zone
sphere. For instance, if too many trees are cut down
will be missing entirely. Coral reef ecosys‐
in the rainforest, soil from the forest is washed by rain

Figure 2-1. Reef zones: (a) lagoon, (b) reef crest, and (c) reef face. (Illustration: Wendy Weir)

2‐1