www.KeysTravel.com: Key West Coral Reef

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As our way to thanks Mother Nature, we would like to tell you a littlet about coral reefs. It is important to know about them, so that we are able to preserve them and avoid doing things that damage them!

(Text and information provided by Reef Relief)

Coral Reefs are delicately balanced underwater environments, alive with abundance of fish, corals, sponges, jellyfish, anemones, snails, rays, crabs, lobsters, turtles, dolphins and other sealife. In fact, it is home to one third of Florida's threatened and endagered species.

Corals have existed for 200 million years, and achieved their current level of biologic diversity 50 million years ago. These delicate structures are composed of millions of tiny slow growing animals, called coral polyps.

It takes years for some corals to grow an inch and they range in size from a pinhead to a foot in lenght. Each polyp excretes a calcareous exoskeleton and lives in a symbiotic relationship with a host algae, zooxanthellae, that gives the coral its color. Millions of polyps grow on top of the limestone remains of former colonies to create the massive reefs. Yet these tiny animals form the only evidence of natural life visible from outer space.

Corals are divided into two kinds, and both are stationary on the ocean bottom. Hard corals such as brain, star, staghorn, elkhorn, and pillar corals have rigid exoskeletons, or corallites, that protect their soft delicate bodies. Gorgonians or soft corals, such as sea fans, sea whips, and sea rods, sway with currents and lack an exoskeleton.

"The Coral Reef Ecosystem includes Coral Reefs, Mangroves, and Seagrass"

Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees with submerged roots that are a nursery and breeding ground for birds and most of the marine life that migrates to the reef. Mangroves trap and produce nutrients for food and habitat, stabilize the shoreline, and filter pollutants from the landbase.

Seagrasses are flowering marine plants that are an important part of the food web. They provide food and habitat for turtles, manatees, many fish, filter-feeding organisms, and foraging sealife such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers. Seagrasses are a nursery for pink shrimp, lobster, snapper and other sealife. They filter the water of sediments, release oxygen and stabilize the bottom.

"Coral Reefs: Beautiful, Alive & Endagered"

Coral reefs deserve protection for their intrinsic natural value. In addition, the economic, tourism, fishing and recreational resources of tropical areas around the world depend on healthy coral reef ecosystems.

Coral Reefs are suffering globally. Scientists report that 30% are already damaged; another 40% endagered (that was before hurricane Georges).Corals grow only in warm tropical waters ideally between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Although climatic and geological changes affect them, human activities have had far greater consequences over the past decade.

The 1st generation to discover scuba may be the last to enjoy coral reefs! Corals are damaged by a variety of physical impacts that include anchor damage, accidental boat groundings, diver and snorkeler touching, and standing and dragging equipment. Propellers tear up shallow seagrasses. Marine debris, especially plastics, damage marinelife and smother corals. Turtles mistake plastic bags for their favorite food, jellyfish.

Click here to see tips for divers, snorkelers and fishermen!

Click here to go to Reef Relief's website!