The Importance Of Coral Reefs In The World

Coral reefs are the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, not only by the number of species but the differences between its inhabitants. The diversity of species and species groups, and also the complex relationships between them makes the coral reefs home to twenty five percent of all marine species in the world. Unfortunately thanks to the global warming , human over-fishing and pollution Coral Reefs are threatened and can disappear. Coral Reefs provide an endless number of benefits to the environment and to humans and therefore they must be protected.

Corals are the base of one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world, corals are in charge of building the reef, where a large number of species of fishes, mollusk, crabs and other inhabitants live. The coral reefs are invaluable because, in addition to providing habitat for more than 25 percent of all marine species, help to protect the coast from erosive wave action storms, provides a place for tourist recreation and it gives food and work to millions of people.

Despite looking like rocks, corals are animals that belong to the phylum Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa. A coral is a colony of thousands of organisms called polyps. There are four types of coral reefs, coral, rocky, mixed and artificial.

Depending on their origin and location they are classified into four groups; coastal reefs: they grow in shallow water near the coast but they are separated by a narrow stretch of shallow water; Barrier Reef: it is far and parallel to the coast, usually it is separated by a channel which can be up to 100 meters deep; Reef platform: Due to the action of winds and currents this kind of reefs are flat and elongated at the top; Atolls: They are generally found in the open sea and are associated with volcanic