1 / 7

Coral Reefs

Coral Reefs. Ben Schnier Kristen Gerpe. What are Coral Reefs?. Rigid structures that stand above the sea floor Home to many living organisms Constructed of material of biological origin. Structures of Coral Reefs.

johana
Télécharger la présentation

Coral Reefs

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Coral Reefs Ben Schnier Kristen Gerpe

  2. What are Coral Reefs? • Rigid structures that stand above the sea floor • Home to many living organisms • Constructed of material of biological origin

  3. Structures of Coral Reefs • Primary Framework Reefs: Carbonate byproduct material from animals living around the reefs build up on an existing skeletal foundation, typically limestone • Secondary Framework Reefs: Biological material floats in a loose matrix of sediment

  4. Basic Types of Coral Reefs • Barrier Reefs: Separated from the shoreline by moderately deep water known as lagoon • Fringing Reefs: Adjacent to shore line • Atolls: Circular Reefs with a lagoon in the center

  5. Other Types of Coral Reefs • Shelf Reefs: Smaller reefs occurring within the lagoon of an atoll or barrier reef • Caribbean Reef Flats: Flat reefs lacking a central crest • Forereef: Downward sloping reef

  6. Types of Coral • Constructors: provide the building blocks of the reef • Bafflers: affect accretion by interrupting the flow of water, thereby encouraging sedimentation • Destroyers: break down the primary framework in various ways • Dwellers: passive inhabitants that contribute to the ecologic diversity of the reef

  7. Why are Coral Reefs Important • Impact on near shore ecology • Fishery Center • Recreation/ Tourism • Provide information about marine evolution

More Related