The Importance of Coral Reefs and Mangroves.

CORAL REEFS

Coral reefs are often hailed as the rainforests of the sea; coral reefs can be termed as a type of living, marine organisms which secrete calcium carbonate, over a long period of time, to form a hard outer skeletal covering. Many people including me assume coral reefs to be plants or rocks. When I researched about it, I learned that coral reefs were polyps that grow along in large groups and in large areas. Polyps are tiny, cylindrical marine habitats. Coral reefs can be best understood to be a group of polyps that grow together. The Importance of the Coral Reefs:

Coral reefs are important because it is natural resources or habitat that we can be proud of. It isnt just a plant or animal-like but it is the place or the home of our marine animals. It is where they live and source of their food. Coral reefs help sustained the tropical marine ecosystems. Coral reefs form an important part of the tropical marine biology. The coral reefs maintain a balance of life with the mangrove and sea grass ecosystems near the coastal shores. Coral reefs support the food chain by being a food for tropical fish and other marine animals that serve as food for animals, higher in the food chain. This maintains the balance of the ecosystem. The coral reefs give our fishermen a big help to earned money to support their needs. They caught fishes to sell and provide food for us, as a consumers. In some areas, because of coral reefs, a business like resorts, it became one of their attractions to their guests in example in Boracay. It is important also in helping coastal areas especially those who live near the vicinity in preventing wave erosion or any other calamities that may happened in coastal areas. The disastrous hurricanes and tsunamis that sweep off life and property are lessened in their impact by coral reefs. Coral reefs are known to break the power of waves and reduce their intensity, thereby protecting coastal areas from destruction. Coral reefs can be called as nature's defense mechanism to prevent coastal soil erosion and flooding. Coral reefs also have contribution in medicine. It has a big help for us and their were also more studies that could help treat disease.

MANGROVES

Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in tropical and subtropical tidelands throughout the world. Mangroves grow in areas that are frequently inundated with salt water due to tidal activity of gulfs, seas and oceans. Mangroves are able to thrive salt water inundation because of specialized rooting structures (such as prop roots and pneumatophores), specialized reproduction (live birth) and the ability to exclude or excrete salt. Mangroves grow exclusively in these tidal areas in large stands or groves to where these areas are referred to as their own ecological community.

The Importance of Mangroves: The mangrove community is valued for its protection and stabilization of low-lying coastal lands and its importance in estuarine and coastal fishery food chains. Mangrove forests protect uplands from storm winds, waves, and floods. The amount of protection afforded by mangroves depends upon the width of the forest. Mangroves can help prevent erosion by stabilizing shorelines with their specialized root systems. The relationship between mangroves and their associated marine life cannot be overemphasized. Mangroves provide protected nursery areas for fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish. Seventy-five percent of the game fish and ninety percent of the commercial species in south Florida are dependent on mangrove ecosystems (Law and Pywell FRC-43). They provide food for a multitude of marine species such as snook, snapper, tarpon, jack, sheep head, red drum, oysters, and shrimp. Many animals find shelter either in the roots or branches of mangroves. Mangroves serve as rookeries, or nesting areas, for beautiful coastal birds such as brown pelicans and roseate spoonbills.