The Value And Diversity In The Value Of Coral Reefs

Value of Coral Reefs
The variety of biodiversity present on coral reefs is greater than in any other marine ecosystem despite reefs being present on only 0.1% of the world’s oceans. Of the 33 phyla present on Earth, 32 of them can be found on coral reefs and 15 of the 32 are found exclusively in coral reef ecosystems (Bryant et al., 1998). These ecosystems represent essential spawning, nursery, and feeding grounds for over 25% of total marine biodiversity (Bryant et al., 1998). Twelve percent of all marine fisheries are directly or indirectly reliant on coral reef ecosystems in addition to over 4,000 species of fish, an abundance of macrofauna (e.g. sharks, whales, sea turtles, etc.), and invertebrates, not to mention, the coral reef microbiome.
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As a result, the pH of the ocean becomes less alkaline, the carbonate ion concentrations needed for skeletal growth are lowered, and in turn the growth rate of corals is reduced (Doney et al. 2009, Cohen and Holcomb, 2009, Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007). While ocean acidification is often considered a global problem, the ocean 's alkalinity can also be reduced locally by agricultural runoff, which contains nitrates that alter alkalinity in a similar way to increasing CO2 concentrations (Doney et al. 2007). In addition to reducing the rate of coral growth, increased acidity also increases bioerosion rates (Wisshak et al., 2012, Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007, Reyes-Nivia et al. 2013). Bioerosion is defined as the weakening or breakdown of coral reef structures due to the chemical and mechanical activities of certain biotic agents, also known as bioeroders (Glynn and Manzello, 2015, Wisshak et al. 2012). However, bioerosion is not a sole result of increased ocean acidification, it is also a result of increased sedimentation, eutrophication, and coral disease (Glynn and Mozello,