Coral Reef Research Paper

Coral environments are vivid and diverse communities found in the clear, warm, shallow waters of the tropics. Coral reefs are home to an astounding number of fish and they play an important role in the ocean. The corals begin life as larvae floating in the ocean until they attach themselves to a hard surface and eventually develop into polyps. The polyps then multiply themselves; until a colony is formed. Corals grow only fifteen centimeters a year and fully mature corals take thousands of years. All organisms rely on the coral at some point or another. Whether it be for territory, food or for reproduction.

The Coral environments are home to many species and there is constant conflict. All species have to find their own space and way of surviving

Numerous breeding strategies exist, but each is targeted at maximizing the reproduction of species. All members of the shrimp colony are the offspring of one female. She is the queen and the only one to produce eggs. Brown surgeonfish wait until the light the light fades and then the females in the group release their eggs while the quickest males in the group try to fertilize them. The Banded pipe fish find their partner and create a bond before they entwine their bodies to pass on the eggs to the male. The males keep the eggs until the young pipefish are born ten days later. During those days, the females starts developing a new batch of eggs and by sharing the work, the pipe fish double the offspring they can produce. The male Flamboyant cuttlefish get the attention of the female by using his colorful display to seduce the female before she accepts and the transfer the sperm is very quick. After a year long pregnancy, the large humpback whale goes to the reefs to give birth while the singing males go there to mate. The louder and longer he sings, the more mating opportunities he would get. Corals also reproduce sexually by using the rising temperatures of spring and a male coral releases sperm, while a female nearby would release eggs into the ocean. Some corals exist as both male and female and release eggs already pre-wrapped in sperm. Their fertilized eggs then drift away from the