Importance of Coral Reefs (Essay Sample)
For this essay, the student was required to discuss the benefits of coral reefs. They were required to use at least one source ( the professor did not specify the type of source or relevance). Consequently, I used a journal article, which are considered reliable academic sources, that was less than five years old. The word count for the paper was more than 300 words but less than 500 words. Consequently, I wrote 398 words. The paper was to be double spaced. The paper format was apa and I used apa 7th edition.
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Importance of Coral Reefs
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Importance of Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are hard structures found in the sea, which are formed by small organisms called corals. Corals (which contains microorganisms such as bacteria) extract calcium carbonate from the ocean and use it to form rock- hard exoskeletons that they use to protect their soft bodies from external dangers. The reefs they build have various benefits: they contribute to the coastal economy, provide homes to various oceanic species, and support the entire oceanic ecosystem.
Coral reefs are important because they contribute to the coastal economy. According to Anthony et al., coral reefs “support services valued at about $10 trillion annually” (2017, p.1420). These funds are used by governments in many ways to improve the blue economy, including building infrastructure, cleaning the oceans, and providing other essential government services. Destroying the reefs would deny the economy these funds. Therefore, individuals and governments should take the necessary measures to protect them against harm.
They are also crucial because they serve as habitats to various fish species. Anthony et al. state that these reefs are “homes to millions of species”, including fish and other organisms (2017, p.1420). The fish use coral reefs to hide and protect their eggs and young ones from predators, guaranteeing a balanced ecosystem. Without these reefs, the fish numbers would go down as they would be easily picked by predators; others would become extinct! Therefore, coral reefs play an important role in maintaining the oceanic ecosystem and should be protected.
Coral reefs are also crucial because they help in guaranteeing biodiversity. According to Anthony et al., destroying coral reefs would result in “widespread loss of…biodiversity” (2017, p.1420). Numerous fish species feed on coral reefs, allowing them to grow and multiply. In turn, some of the small fish are bigger fishes’ prey, feeding the entire oceanic ecosystem. Consequently, destroying them would deny some fish species a crucial source of food, which would risk the existence of the entire ecosystem. Therefore,
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