Coral Reefs: Underwater Gardens of Eden

Imagine an underwater city. No, this city is not Atlantis. It is not inhabited by humans,
but by fish and other creatures. There are no buildings in this city, just the skeletons of tiny
animals that make their homes there. Some animals make their homes in these skeletons, others
make their own homes. This underwater city is a coral reef. Coral reefs are underwater
communities made up of plants, fish, and many other creatures. They are home to one of the
most diverse ecosystems in the world. Coral reefs are underwater Gardens of Eden, housing over
25% of all fish species. However, they are in danger. I hope that this website will spread
awareness about coral reefs and the importance of them in the biosphere.
Coral reefs are made by millions of tiny animals working together to build their homes.
The main builder of the coral reef is the coral animal. An individual coral animal is called a
polyp. A single coral polyp looks like a tiny sea anemone. Corals come in many different colors,
ranging from electric blue to electric green. Coral animals get their color from algae known as
zooxanthellae. The corals have a mutualistic relationship with the zooxanthellae. The corals give
the zooxanthellae a home. (NOAA,gov, What is zooxanthellae?).
Surprisingly, many coral reefs form from one coral animal that multiplied over a long
period of time. When corals mate, they release millions of egg and sperm cells. Most cells are
eaten by other animals. However, some egg cells are fertilized and drift off to start a new coral
reef. Fertilized eggs sometimes land on sunken ships, starting a new coral reef on that ship. There
are three types of reefs: fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Fringing reefs are reefs that grow
directly from the shore. They form borders around the shorelines. Barrier reefs also border the
shoreline, but create a lagoon between them and the shoreline. When a fringing reef continues

to grow upward from a volcanic island that has sunk entirely below sea level, an atoll is formed.
Atolls are usually circular or oval in shape, with an open lagoon in the center (NOAA, What are
the three major types of coral reefs?).
Coral reefs are filled with many organisms, ranging from microscopic plankton to giant
groupers. Regardless of their size, every animal is important in its ecosystem. The smallest
animals on the coral reef are plankton. Despite their size, plankton are the most important
animals on the coral reef because they are the basis of the food web. Corals, other invertebrates,
and small fish eat this plankton. Larger fish and invertebrates eat the small fish. For example,
tuna eat off of mackerel, a fish that eats plankton. Also, lobsters eat both small fish and plankton.
The animals on the coral reef are interconnected and interdependent. Coral reef food
webs can be easily disrupted by the disappearance of one animal. For example, if an organism
such as plankton disappears, the corals, other invertebrates, and small fish will die. If those
organisms die, then the larger fish and invertebrates will die. This produces a domino effect until
the human food system is interrupted.
Coral reefs are beneficial to people as a source of food and tourism. The fish that grow
and live on coral reefs are a significant food source for over a billion people worldwidemany
of whom live far from the reefs that feed them. Approximately half of all federally managed
fisheries in the United States depend on coral reefs and related habitats for a portion of their life
cycles. The NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service estimates the annual commercial value of
US fisheries from coral reefs to be over $100 million. Reef-based recreational fisheries generate
over $100 million annually in the US. Globally, one estimate shows fisheries benefits account for
$5.7 billion of the total $29.8 billion global net benefit provided by coral reefs. Sustainable coral

reef fisheries in Southeast Asia alone are valued at $2.4 billion per year (Coralreefsystems.org,
The Value of Corals). Every year, millions of scuba divers and snorkelers travel to coral reefs to
enjoy the abundant sea life. Even more tourists travel to see the beaches that these reefs protect.
Island economies receive billions of dollars from these visitor through diving tours, fishing trips,
hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. One estimate places the total global value of coral-reef
based recreation and tourism at $9.6 billion of the total global net benefit of coral reefs
(Coralreefsystems.org, The Value of Corals).
Coral reefs have been found to contain many chemicals that can be used in medicine,
including ones that can cure cancer. Creatures found in coral ecosystems are important sources
of new medicines being developed to induce and ease labor; treat cancer, arthritis, asthma, ulcers,
human bacterial infections, heart disease, viruses, and other diseases; as well as sources of
nutritional supplements, enzymes, and cosmetics (Coralreefsystems.org, The Value of Corals).
A species of bryozoan (an aquatic invertebrate) has been found to contain an anti-cancer
chemical that can be turned into medicine. Blue-green algae contain chemicals that can help treat
lung cancer. Molecules produced by sponges, tunicates, and sea hares have displayed anti-viral,
anti-tumor, and anti-bacterial activity.
Coral reefs are being threatened by invasive species. Invasive species are any nonnative
plants or animals that are introduced to an environment in which they compete well in. An
example of invasive species in coral reefs is the case of the lionfish invasion in Florida. The
lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a venomous, predatory sea creature that is native to the Indo-Pacific.
Starting in about 2003, people became interested in keeping lionfish for aquariums due to their
large, flashy fins. Many inexperienced fishkeepers either did not have an appropriate
environment for the lionfish to live in or became injected with the lionfishs painful poison. This

led to those inexperienced fishkeepers releasing their animals into the ocean. While invasions
by marine fishes are relatively uncommon and their ecological effects are largely unknown,
introductions of predatory freshwater fishes have often proven to be devastating to native
communities (Albin, 35). Since the lionfish had no natural predators in Florida, they quickly
became the top of the food chain and multiplied uncontrollably, causing the extinction of many
native species.
Coral reefs are also being threatened by ocean acidification and global warming. As we
discussed earlier, the coral animal cannot survive without its symbiotic zooxanthellae. Under
certain conditions, mainly an increase in temperature, zooxanthellae have been known to leave
the coral reef in search of a more favorable environment. The absence of zooxantellae exposes
the corals white calcium carbonate skeleton. A reef that is full of white corals without
zooxantellae is considered a bleached reef. Bleached reefs are becoming more common.
Scientific studies have shown that just an increase of one to two degrees in temperature can
trigger the leaving of zooxantellae from the coral. This makes coral reefs extremely sensitive to
rising ocean temperatures. Recently, a new threat to coral reefs has been discovered ocean
acidification. Ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil
fuels enters the ocean. Through a series of chemical reactions, the carbon dioxide takes away
carbonate ions, which aquatic invertebrates such as corals need to build their skeletons. Rising
levels of carbon dioxide can lead to the breakdown and bleaching of coral reefs.
Despite all of these challenges, coral reefs are slowly making a comeback. Efforts to
replant damaged reefs in Fiji are experiencing unexpected success. Divers take pieces of
healthy corals from healthy coral reefs and put them on an underwater growing rack. About six
months later, when the corals have grown bigger, the divers take pieces of those corals and put

the pieces on a struggling reef. About a year later, the reefs have fully recovered. Scientists at the
Coral Reef Foundation in Florida have developed a different way of growing the corals to replant
coral reefs. Instead of placing the corals on growing racks, they hang the corals upside-down.
The upside-down growing method has been shown to increase growth by 100%.
Coral reefs are underwater Gardens of Eden, housing over 25% of all fish species on the
planet. However, they are under attack. Slowly, coral reefs are coming back. The key to
conserving the oceans precious resources is educating the future generation. We have to care
about this earth because it is the only one that we will ever have. Jesus would support this cause
because He created everything perfect and doesnt want it to be destroyed by sinful people.
Destroying Gods perfect work is a sin against God. God gave us the responsibility to care for
creation. Genesis 1:15 says, The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to
work it and take care of it. We cannot simply throw away a world and move to a new one; we
must conserve this one for the health of the future generation. Jesus would support this cause
because He created everything perfect and doesnt want it to be destroyed by sinful people.
Destroying Jesus perfect work is a sin against God.

Annotated Bibliography
Campbell, Neil A., and Jane B. Reece. Biology. San Francisco: Pearson, Benjamin Cummings,
2005. Print.

Gattuso, Jeanne-Pierce. "Ocean Acidification." N.p., 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012.

Karleskint, George. Introduction to Marine Biology. Philadelphia: UP Sanders College, 1998.

Ocean Acidification: The Other Carbon Dioxide Problem. NOAA National Ocean and
Atmospheric Administration, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

"What Are the Three Main Types of Coral Reefs?" NOAA. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.

"Zooxanthellae... What's That?" NOAA National Ocean Service Education, n.d. Web. 12 Apr.
2015.