The Coral Reefs Essay -- Sea Ocean Nature Wildlife Environmental Essay

The Coral Reefs Can we save â€Å"Tropical Rain Forests of the Ocean†? Anyone who’s ever scuba dived at a coral reef and seen the perfect handprint of dead coral can appreciate how fragile and delicate this ecosystem is. Coral reefs are not just rock, like some people believe, but are an animal. Corals are a type of animal called a polyp, the simplest of predators that eat meat in the form of drifting zooplankton†¦all corals have boarders, zillions of microscopic, one-celled plants called zooxanthellae that live inside the polyps and transform sunlight into oxygen, keeping the corals alive. As you will see, the corals need these algae in order to live, but too much is deadly. Coral reefs are limited to where they live. Most live in the narrow band of the equator, as they need light, the shallow near shore areas is where most coral reefs can be found. Their biological riches, though, hold value far beyond their beauty. After tropical rain forests, coral reefs may be the most biologically diverse ecosystem, holding a substantial portion of the basics of life on the planet. They form what is thought to be the most species rich ecosystem in the oceans, the crucible of life some 3,000,000,000 years ago. Covering just 0.17% of the ocean floor, an area the size of Texas, coral reefs are home to perhaps one –quarter of all marine species, earning them the title â€Å"the tropical rain forests of the Oceans.† Unfortunately, these beautiful and diverse ecosystems are in trouble from a large variety of sources. These sources being everything from natural water temperature fluctuations to being mined for building materials. One source of abuses to the coral reefs ... ...eefs helps, but does nothing to prevent runoff from pesticides and fertilizer. Many resorts educate divers about not touching the coral, but it is unrealistic to expect that the coral could not get accidentally bumped. One country could ban pollution, but if the next country doesn’t, what good does that do? It needs to be a global effort if we are to save these â€Å"tropical rain forests of the ocean.† Works Cited Butler,James N., et al. â€Å"The Bermuda Fisheries: a tragedy of the commons averted?† Environment Jan-Feb/1993/pg6+ Matsen,Bradford. â€Å"Travel to Exotic Foreign Lands! See Beautiful Coral Reefs! And Kill Them!† Mother Jones May-June/1998/:pg60+ Raloff,Janet. â€Å"Sea Sickness.† Science News Jan/1999/:pg72+ U.S. Coral Reef Task Force.www.coralreef.gov 4/23/00 Weber,Peter. â€Å"Coral Reefs face the Threat of Extinction.† USA Today May/1993/:pg62+