Why is the Great Barrier Reef important to the 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.
How are ecosystems connected along the Great Barrier Reef?
Mangroves are flowering plants that grow along estuaries, rivers, bays and islands providing coastal protection and supporting key Reef ecosystems. Mangroves and saltmarshes are ecologically important habitats that link the land and marine environments and form a critical part of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.
What ecosystem services does the Great Barrier Reef provide?
Benefits of coral reef ecosystems Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local communities, and offer opportunities for recreation. They are also are a source of food and new medicines. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection.
What is so special about the Great Barrier Reef?
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.
What are coastal ecosystems?
The coastal ecosystems occur where the land meets the sea and that includes a diverse set of habitat types like the mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, estuaries and lagoons, backwaters etc. The quality of the ecosystem services depends on the resilience of the ecosystems.
Why is a coral reef an ecosystem?
Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth, rivaled only by tropical rain forests. Competition for resources such as food, space and sunlight are some of the primary factors in determining the abundances and diversity of organisms on a reef.
How do coral reefs help the ecosystem?
Coral reefs provide an important ecosystem for life underwater, protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves hitting the coast, and provide a crucial source of income for millions of people. Coral reefs teem with diverse life. Thousands of species can be found living on one reef.
What are the ecosystem services provided by coral reefs?
Moreover, coral reefs supply a wide range of ecosystem services and goods, such as food provision, shoreline protection, erosion regulation, biogeochemical cycling, and tourism and recreation opportunities (Moberg and Folke, 1999, Principe et al., 2012).
What are 5 interesting facts about the Great Barrier Reef?
10 incredible facts about the Great Barrier Reef
- It’s the only place on earth where two UNESCO World Heritage Sites meet.
- It’s bigger than Tasmania and Victoria, combined.
- You’ll find a third of the world’s coral here.
- And it’s home to nearly 5,000 marine and mammal species.
- You can volunteer on the Great Barrier Reef.
What organisms live in the Great Barrier Reef?
The Great Barrier Reef is home to a wide range of life, including fish, sea turtles, giant clam, seahorse, sea snakes, nudibranch, sea turtles, stingray, sharks and many more. Over 1500 different species of fish live in the Great Barrier Reef, including clownfish , star of the animated film Finding Nemo. Whales,…
What makes the Great Barrier Reef so special?
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s LARGEST living structure: about the size of 70 MILLION football fields!!
What are the unique characteristics of the Great Barrier Reef?
Occupying such a large tract of space, it is little wonder that the Great Barrier Reef contains more than just coral reefs. Other natural features include: mangrove estuaries; sandy and coral cays; continental islands; sea grass beds; algal and sponge gardens; sandy and muddy bottom communities; continental slopes and deep ocean troughs.
What is the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef?
The biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef is extremely diverse. The reef contains species from single celled algae to whale sharks that are all interconnected through their habitat and one another.