What are some ecosystems in the Great Barrier Reef?
What are some ecosystems in the Great Barrier Reef?
There are 14 coastal ecosystems that are important to the function of the Reef: coral reefs, lagoon floors, islands, open water, seagrass, coastline, estuaries, freshwater wetlands, forested floodplains, health and shrublands, grass and sedgelands, woodlands, forests, and rainforests.
What is the ecosystem of the coral reef?
Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Coral polyps, the animals primarily responsible for building reefs, can take many forms: large reef building colonies, graceful flowing fans, and even small, solitary organisms.
What are the 3 kinds of reef ecosystems?
The three main types of coral reefs are fringing, barrier, and atoll. Schools of colorful pennantfish, pyramid, and milletseed butterflyfish live on an atoll reef in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The most common type of reef is the fringing reef. This type of reef grows seaward directly from the shore.
Why is the Great Barrier Reef a significant ecosystem?
In Australia, our Great Barrier Reef is an irreplaceable and crucial part of our ecosystem – and our economy. Made up of 3,000 individual reefs, it protects our coastlines and is home to thousands of species of marine life including fish, whales, dolphins and six of the world’s seven species of marine turtle.
Why is the Great Barrier Reef important to the ecosystem?
They’re home to a quarter of the ocean’s marine life, generate clean air and protect vulnerable coastlines from erosion, flooding and storms. In Australia, our Great Barrier Reef is an irreplaceable and crucial part of our ecosystem – and our economy.
How many barrier reefs are there?
Some key facts about the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: covers 344,400 km2 in area. includes the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem. includes some 3000 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, 300 coral cays and about 150 inshore mangrove islands.
What is barrier reef in geography?
A barrier reef is separated from the shore by a lagoon. The reef forms a barrier between the coast and the open ocean or sea. Some barrier reefs consist of chains of smaller reefs separated by narrow waterways. The Great Barrier Reef is constructed this way.
Is the Great Barrier Reef a community or ecosystem?
The Great Barrier Reef is unique as it extends over 14 degrees of latitude, from shallow estuarine areas to deep oceanic waters. Within this vast expanse are a unique range of ecological communities, habitats and species – all of which make the Reef one of the most complex natural ecosystems in the world.
How many organisms live in the Great Barrier Reef?
The Great Barrier Reef, which extends for over 2,300 kilometers (1429 miles) along the northeastern coast of Australia, is home to over 9,000 known species. There are likely many more—new discoveries are frequently being made, including a new species of branching coral discovered in 2017.