Diversity in rainforests and coral reefs Environmental science essay
Coral reefs support enormous biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services to many millions of people. Yet reefs are rapidly deteriorating in response to numerous anthropogenic factors. In the. Introduction. Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, providing goods and services worth up to 9. billion people live per year from a coral reef, a global social dependency that places significant pressure on the health of coral reefs 3,4. This acute human pressure is further magnified. Just like tropical rainforests, coral reefs are threatened by human influences. Coral reefs are particularly fragile ecosystems, partly because of their sensitivity to water temperature. When corals are physiologically stressed – as is the case when water temperatures are elevated – they can lose many of their symbiotic algae, an event that 1. Introduction. Systematic data collection on species distribution and abundance remains an essential part of conservation research, especially as unprecedented losses of biodiversity occur worldwide. Butchart et al. 2010. Coral reefs support one-third of the ocean's marine biodiversity and provide numerous ecosystems. Tropical seascapes generally distinguish different habitat types: coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests. The coral reef can be a barrier reef, a fringing reef or an atoll and is covered with coral colonies. Seagrass meadows generally grow on the coast of the reef and cover as much of the seabed as the light and water quality. Coral reefs are also called the 'rainforests of the sea'. Nearly a quarter of all fish in the sea depend on healthy coral reefs. Corals provide habitats for fish and other organisms in the ocean. The Northwest Hawaiian Island. coral reefs are home to approximately seven thousand species of plants and animals. John C. Ogden, Diversity: rain forests versus coral reefs, BioScience · 144, https: doi.org 10.2307 1311348 Until now, Miller explained, it was generally assumed that tropical coral reefs are, like tropical rainforests, hotspots of biodiversity because of the intrinsic tendency to diversify therein. Now, a study led by University of Arizona doctoral student Elizabeth Miller has revealed that coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific have accumulated their unparalleled wealth of fish species not because of some unknown, elusive quality, but simply because they had the time. People used to think that new species evolve faster in tropical sea areas. Coral reefs face enormous challenges from climate change and from the difficulties in managing the highly diverse reef fisheries. Fishing is one of the largest of many direct causes of reef decline, while the ultimate causes appear to be rapid population growth 22, 131, 245 and economic development. 245 The often observed high diversity of trees in tropical rainforests and corals on tropical reefs is a non-equilibrium state that, if not further disturbed, will evolve into a low-diversity equilibrium community. This may not happen if gradual changes in climate favor different species. When equilibrium is reached, it will occur to a lesser extent. Coral reefs face many threats from local sources, including: Physical damage or destruction from coastal development, dredging, quarrying, destructive fishing practices and equipment, anchoring and grounding of boats, and recreational abuse the touching or removal of.