Importance of Coral Reefs (Research Paper Sample)

Importance of Coral Reefs
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Corals are invertebrate animals that belong to a group known as Cnidaria. They are found in tropical ocean water; for instance, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia ̶ it is 1500 miles long. Some corals are hermatypic, or "hard" corals that extract calcium carbonate from the seawater. The calcium carbonate extracted protects the corals’ soft, sac-like bodies.
Coral reefs have a diverse function in the marine ecosystem. They serve as home and shelter to thousands of marine organisms, such as fish, crustaceans, microorganisms, and corals. They protect the coastline from adverse effects of the waves and frequent tropical storms. Coral reefs are significantly involved in nutrient recycling, carbon and nitrogen-fixing, and provide nitrogen and other needed nutrients to different organisms within the ecosystem.
Coastal cities rely heavily on a coral reef to protect from the devastating waves and tropical storms. Coral reef prevents erosion of the coastline from powerful sea waves. They provide stability to seagrass and mangrove: providing oxygen, habitat, and vegetation for humans and other inland species.
A coral reef is rarely found in polluted waters (Rilov & Benayahu, 2002). Corals are filter feeders (an animal that feeds on its food by filtering nutrients within water current). The filtration dramati