Assignment 1 : Coral Reefs
Rebecca Grace Lively
Dr. Carol Hoban
SCI200- Environmental Science
October 31, 2018
When people often think about or look at different photos and videos of the beautiful
Coral Reefs we only think of them as those beautiful things in the water. We do not realize the
importance of them, what functions they play, and how big of an artifact they are to our oceanic
life stock. Being of the most diverse forms of life on Earth today, coral reefs play a huge role
keeping oceanic life functioning. Sea turtles, thousands of different fish species, and many
different sponges depend of coral reefs to act as their homes. Without the coral reefs acting as a
home for thee animals they could not be able to live. This just one example of many to show how
important coral reefs are and their active role as a marine ecosystem. While taking on the form of
a habitat for some species, they also have many other functions as well. A major job that the reefs
have are protecting the coastlines from storms, waves, and floods when we experience disastrous
weather conditions. The rough structures along the reefs serve as a buffer during these
catastrophes, helping to save lives and prevent property damage as much as possible. “The
coastlines protected by reefs are more stable, in terms of erosion, and are also a source of sand in
natural beach replenishment.” (NOAA The Value of Corals 2016). Benefiting factors from coral
reefs range from providing food for humans by acting as the home for the marine-animals that
we eat, to providing the basic nutrients the marine life need to survive, assisting in carbon and
nitrogen fixing and helping with nitrogen recycling. A lot of people worldwide use the fish that
live in the coral reefs as a source of food. Examples of some of the many economic benefits that
