what are coral reefs & why are they important?
3 TYPES OF CORAL REEFS:
Coral reefs begin to form when free-swimming coral larvae attach to submerged rocks or other hard surfaces along the edges of islands or continents. As the corals grow and expand, reefs take on one of three major characteristic structures —fringing, barrier or atoll.4
http://aboutcoralreefs.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/cropped-p1012112.jpg
http://microbiology2009.wikispaces.com/file/view/coral-reef2.jpg/72530005/515x390/coral-reef2.jpg
CORAL REEFS ARE SWIMMING WITH BIODIVERSITY:
Coral reefs contain nearly as much biodiversity as rainforests.14 They are the most diiverse and valuable marine ecosystem because they support more species per unit than any other marine environment.
There are around 4,000 different species of fish, 800 different corals, and hundreds of other species. Scientists estimate that there may be another 1 to 8 million undiscovered species of organisms living in reefs.4