Featured articles | Weekly Newsletter | Topics | Syndicate / XML feed / RSS  

Background: Coral Reefs

Background: Coral reefs are often called the "rainforests of the sea" for their high levels of biodiversity despite a scarcity of nutrients. What exactly are corals? Corals are tiny animals that live in colonies and derive nourishment and energy from a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae algae known as dinoflagellates. Coral reefs are formed over the course of thousands of years as limestone skeletons constructed by corals accumulate and form a structural base for living corals.

The world's largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef, found off the Pacific coast of Australia. The second largest reef lies off the Atlantic coast of Central America, near Belize.

Coral reefs are increasing threatened by climate change, unsustainable fishing practices, the construction business (coral limestone is used for concrete), coastal deforestation (especially of mangroves), soil erosion, and pollution. Even unmanaged tourism and the aquarium fish trade can damage reefs.

Articles



[an error occurred while processing this directive]







archives | news | XML / RSS feed | featured


XML / RSS / Syndication options

mongabay.com features more than 400 RSS feeds to meet your specific area of interest


MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)

CONTENTS
Rainforests
Tropical Fish
News
Madagascar
Pictures
Kids' Site
Languages
TCS Journal
About
Archives
Topics | RSS
Newsletter



WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Email:


INTERACT
Facebook
Twitter
Contact
Help
Photo store
Mongabay gear



SUPPORT
Help support mongabay.com when you buy from Amazon.com


STORE

SHIRTS

HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS / PRINTS




TOPICS
Africa
Agriculture
Alternative Energy
Amazon
Amphibian Crisis
Amphibians
Animal Behavior
Antarctica
Asia
Australia
Avoided deforestation
Biodiversity
Bioenergy
Biofuels
Biomimicry
Birds
Borneo
Brazil
Bushmeat
California
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Finance
Carbon Sequestration
Cellulosic Ethanol
China
Climate Change
Congo
Conservation
Coral Reefs
Deforestation
Ecological Services
Endangered Species
Energy
Environment
Environmental Law
Environmental Politics
Ethanol
Extinction
Fires
Forests
Fossil Fuels
Green Business
Green Design
Green Energy
Greenland-Arctic
Happy-Upbeat Environmental
Hurricanes
Illegal Logging
India
Indigenous People
Indonesia
Interviews
Invasive Species
Lemurs
Logging
Madagascar
Mammals
Monkeys
New Guinea
Ocean Acidification
Oceans
Oil
Orangutans
Palm Oil
Plants
Politics
Pollution
Poverty Alleviation
Primates
REDD
Remote Sensing
Renewable Energy
Reptiles
Sea Ice
Sea Levels
Sea Turtles
Sharks
Solar Power
Species Discovery
Strange
Technology
United States
Water
Whales
Wildlife

more



In April 2008 Mongabay.com was named as one of Time Magazine's Fifteen Top Green Websites





About | Privacy
Copyright Rhett Butler 2013