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The three major zones of a coral reef: the fore reef, reef crest, and the back reef. Coral reef ecosystems contain distinct zones that host different kinds of habitats. Usually, three major zones are recognized: the fore reef, reef crest, and the back reef (frequently referred to as the reef lagoon).
Approximately 97% of the park's area consists of sea, with more than 390 types of coral reefs decorating its seabed. The coral reefs in Bunaken are formed as part of the Indo-Pacific coral reef ecosystem, and are known as one of the highest marine biodiversity in the world. Coral Triangle: Mainly Indonesia
A variety of biotic reef types exists, including oyster reefs and sponge reefs, but the most massive and widely distributed are tropical coral reefs. [1] Although corals are major contributors to the framework and bulk material comprising a coral reef, the organisms most responsible for reef growth against the constant assault from ocean waves ...
Darwin reviewed the distribution of different species of coral across a reef. He thought that the seaward reefs most exposed to wind and waves were formed by massive corals and red algae; this would be the most active area of reef growth and so would cause a tendency for reefs to grow outwards once they reach sea level.
There are various types of shallow-water coral reef, including fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls; most occur in tropical and subtropical seas. They are very slow-growing, adding perhaps one centimetre (0.4 in) in height each year. The Great Barrier Reef is thought to have been laid down about two million years ago.
Coral reefs contain the most diverse fish assemblages to be found anywhere on earth, with perhaps as many as 6,000–8,000 species dwelling within coral reef ecosystems of the world's oceans. [ 3 ] The mechanisms that first led to, and continue to maintain, such concentrations of fish species on coral reefs has been widely debated over the last ...
Reefs provide coastal protection through erosion control and shoreline stabilization, and modify the physical landscape by ecosystem engineering, thereby providing habitat for species by facilitative interactions with other habitats such as tidal flat benthic communities, seagrasses and marshes.
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