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A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate . [ 1 ] Most coral reefs are built from stony corals , whose polyps cluster in groups.
Marine primary producers underpin almost all marine animal life by generating nearly all of the oxygen and food marine animals need to exist. Some marine primary producers are also ecosystem engineers which change the environment and provide habitats for other marine life.
Studies on the influence of guano on tropical marine ecosystems suggest nitrogen from guano enriches seawater and reef primary producers. [ 78 ] [ 81 ] [ 82 ] Reef building corals have essential nitrogen needs and, thriving in nutrient-poor tropical waters [ 83 ] where nitrogen is a major limiting nutrient for primary productivity, [ 84 ] they ...
Ecosystem services delivered by epibenthic bivalve reefs. Reefs provide coastal protection through erosion control and shoreline stabilization, and modify the physical landscape by ecosystem engineering, thereby providing habitat for species by facilitative interactions with other habitats such as tidal flat benthic communities, seagrasses and ...
Coral reef farming involves extracting a part of a coral colony or free-floating larvae from a reef, and growing them in a nursery until outplanting [5] would be successful. It is commonly referred to as the "gardening method" and has been compared to silviculture as a management practice that mimics natural ecosystems. [3] [6]
Studies on the influence of guano on tropical marine ecosystems suggest nitrogen from guano enriches seawater and reef primary producers. [ 90 ] [ 93 ] [ 94 ] Reef building corals have essential nitrogen needs and, thriving in nutrient-poor tropical waters [ 95 ] where nitrogen is a major limiting nutrient for primary productivity, [ 96 ] they ...
An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by organisms in interaction with their environment. [2]: 458 The biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Ecosystems are controlled by external and internal factors.
The island of Tobago has multiple coral reef ecosystems. [2] [3] The Buccoo Reef, the Culloden Reed and Speyside Reef are the three largest coral reef marine ecosystems in Tobago. [4] The Buccoo Reef is a coralline reef ecosystem that is located on the southwestern region of Tobago.