Coral Reef Research Paper

Coral reefs are one of the world’s hidden treasures. In a coral reef, you can find anything from plants to certain types of animals. Some of the coral that you might see can be dangerous and fatal to humans. While some coral reefs are dangerous, others aren’t. There are a lot of things in a coral reef and many topics worth being discussed, but only three topics will be touched on throughout this paper. The first topic is the food web within the coral reefs; the second topic being discussed will be the different types of coral reefs; the third topic to be discussed will be where coral reefs can be found. Food webs within coral reefs are divided up into four different groups. Starting with the top predators, secondary consumers, primary consumers, …show more content…
The first kind of coral reef are fringing reefs, or shore reefs. These reefs grow directly off the shore. A shore reef is the most common kind of reef. Even though these reefs are grown near the shore, human impact can cause harm. These types of reefs can be found surrounding pacific islands. The second kind of reef that can be formed is a barrier reef; this reef is grown linear to the shore, but is usually separated by a lagoon. These types of reefs are less common than the others. An example of a barrier reef is The Great Barrier Reef, which is located off the coast of Australia. The third type of is known as atoll. This type of reef is circular and is often found above a huge lagoon in the deep ocean. These reefs are located in the IndoPacific region and a better example of one can be found in the French …show more content…
The food web is one of the quality things about a coral reef; without the shark, its food web would be off balance. Even though coral reefs are located in different areas within the ocean and they are different shapes and sizes, the food web remains the same. Among the different types of coral reefs, fringing reefs or shore reefs are the most common. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s secret treasures; without it the world wouldn’t have the underwater beauty that it holds. Unfortunately, climate change could affect the loss of coral reefs and the ocean wouldn’t be what it is today. Not only can climate change affect the life of a coral reef, but a human’s touch can damage it too. Just think of a coral reef as a house to humans; the humans would want to maintain the reef just like they maintain their houses. With that being said, protect the coral