Coral reefs are like the rainforests of the sea, and like those here on land, they're
being destroyed.
But why should you care?
Howdy friends under the sea, Trace here for DNews.
When you picture coral you probably see it like THIS[a] right?
But coral aren't just colorful rocks.
Tiny living things live in there.
Those "rocks" are actually the skeletons of polyps, which look like this[b].
Polyps constantly secrete calcium carbonate to build these protective skeletons.
This is why people say coral reefs are living, not because the calcium structures are alive,
but because the polyps live inside those structures -- like a turtle in a shell -- only popping
out to feed or occasionally fight with one another.
Coral are related to jellyfish, and sea anemones and are not mobile animals, instead they anchor
and live their whole lives in one place.
Polyps can be as small as the head of a pin or as large as a foot across (30 cm) and while
some grow in groups, others are solitary.
The varied colors in their bodies comes from symbiotic algae that live inside of them.
As they grow and die, more coral grow on top of them, and over millions of years, coral
pile together to form giant coral reefs that create the basis for 25 percent of ALL ocean
life, even though they're only point-one percent of the area of the ocean -- again, rainforest
of the sea.
Coral appeared in the fossil record 400 million years ago.
As the polyps grow through their life cycle, the calcium carbonate they secrete will sometimes
merge with the secretions of other polyps around them, forming shapes.
The polyps can form tables, pillars, spiral wires, staghorns, and brain coral.
They're all rigid structures with living polyps, but they live in different places and require
different conditions.
These shapes are affected by weather, currents and of course human and large animal activity.
When coral like this band together, they're called "reef building coral," and they form
some of the most diverse ecosystems on our planet.
If you're like me, you grew up hearing the reefs were important, but I was never sure
WHY.
After researching, I get it.
I could list all the animals living in a coral reef, but to be honest, this DNews episode
would never end.
There are literally millions of species that subsist in, on and around coral reefs.
They've been around for millions of years, so it's safe to say there are likely fish,
crustaceans and algae that evolved to live on reefs and nowhere else, just like insects,
mammals and birds in the Amazon.
It's mind-boggling.
Thats not all they do.
Coral also control how much carbon dioxide is in the ocean.
They take the carbon dioxide out of the water, and use it to build their calcium carbonate
skeletons.
Without coral, the amount of CO2 in the water would affect the whole planet, but luckily,
they trap that in stone for us all.
And if housing species, looking awesome, and saving the planet wasn't enough...
Coral reefs alter how the ocean affects the shore.
Because they build up over millions of years, and can survive live in warm shallow water
as well as colder deeper water, reefs can span massive areas and undulate like mountain
ranges.
They build themselves to withstand typhoons, hurricanes and other tropical storms, and
therefore buffer the shore against waves, storms, and floods!
These tiny animals evolved long before we did, and their existence in areas like Australia
and Florida can prevent loss of life, property damage, and erosion by tempering the rushing
ocean.
Today, coral are in trouble.
Because coral are so sensitive to water temperature, global warming/climate change, ocean acidification,
ecotourism and commercial overfishing are beginning to kill off these tiny animals.
In fact, when the animal is stressed, they release their symbiotic colorful algae into
the water, turn white and die.
Which is why it's important to think of coral not as pretty rocks but as living things like
a dog or an elephant.
A new 42 year study of coral has found we've only got about a sixth of the coral left on
our planet -- with the Caribbean losing 50-percent of their coral since 1970.
But all hope is not lost, the parrotfish might be a coral savior.
Where parrotfish live, coral are thriving, so new sanctions on the protection of parrotfish
are being considered.
With a bit of effort we can help these little animals continue another 400 million years,
and it helps to get to know them a bit better, right?
Do you know more about coral now?
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