A coral reef is a shallow, sunlit marine biome built up over centuries by colonies of coral polyps, tiny animals that secrete calcium carbonate skeletons and live in a close mutual partnership with photosynthetic algae housed in their own tissue. Reefs form mainly in warm, clear, nutrient-poor tropical and subtropical waters, most extensively in the Indo-Pacific, and their structural complexity supports an estimated quarter of all known marine species despite covering well under one percent of the ocean floor. Reefs are highly sensitive to warming water, acidification, sedimentation and pollution, and large-scale coral bleaching events have become a defining threat to the biome worldwide.
Facts
Climate
Typical Low Temperature (C)Reef-building corals cannot tolerate water below about 18C; this is the source's own stated survival floor, not a seasonal low. Typical High Temperature (C)29C is the top of the 23-29C range most reef corals grow optimally in; some corals tolerate brief spikes to 40C but that is bleaching-inducing stress, not typical. Annual precipitation is left unfilled: a reef is fully submerged and the source itself states there is no direct precipitation on the reef, only on the water and coastline around it. Disputed
Annual Precipitation (mm)990mm is the source global ocean+land blended figure; the source does not isolate a coral-reef-specific figure. Reefs are shallow, surface-exposed tropical marine systems, so the same global ocean blend already used on the Marine and Open Ocean biome entities is applied here. Connections
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Source Wikipedia: Bigfin Reef Squid
Source Wikipedia: Blacktip reef shark
Source Blue-ringed Octopus (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Ascarosepion latimanus (Wikipedia)
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source Spirobranchus giganteus, Wikipedia
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Cook Pine (Wikidata)
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Epaulette Shark (Wikidata)
Source Giant barrel sponge (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Wikipedia: Lionfish
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source Aliger gigas - Wikipedia
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source Red Lionfish (Wikipedia)
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source Sargassum, Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia: Symbiodinium
Source Tasselled wobbegong (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Zebra Shark
Sources
1. In What Types of Water Do Corals Live? (NOAA Ocean Service)
NOAA Ocean ServiceNOAA Ocean Service, In What Types of Water Do Corals Live?, temperature sectionQuote, NOAA Ocean Service, In What Types of Water Do Corals Live?, temperature section
Reef-building corals cannot tolerate water temperatures below 64 Fahrenheit (18 Celsius). Many grow optimally in water temperatures between 73 and 84 Fahrenheit (23-29 Celsius).
2. Precipitation (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia, Precipitation, lead sectionQuote, Wikipedia, Precipitation, lead section
the globally averaged annual precipitation is 990 millimetres (39 in), but over land it is only 715 millimetres (28.1 in)
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.- Home To: Clownfish
- Home To: Elkhorn Coral
- Home To: Brain Coral
- Home To: Hawksbill Sea Turtle
- Home To: Giant Clam
View the Source World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife Fund- Home To: Chagos Archipelago
- Home To: Coral Sea
- Home To: Ningaloo Reef
- Home To: Raja Ampat
- Home To: Red Sea Coral Reef
View the Source Red Lionfish (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation- Home To: Red Lionfish, Wikipedia intro states: "The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a venomous coral reef fish in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes. It is mainly native to the Indo-Pacific reg"
- Home To: Red Lionfish, Wikipedia intro: "The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is a venomous coral reef fish in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes. It is mainly native to the Indo-Pacific reg"
View the Source Spirobranchus giganteus, Wikipedia
- Home To: Christmas Tree Worm, Wikipedia intro states: "chaete worm belonging to the family Serpulidae building calcareous tubes. The S. giganteus lives in coral reefs in the Caribbean."
- Home To: Christmas Tree Worm, Wikipedia intro: "chaete worm belonging to the family Serpulidae building calcareous tubes. The S. giganteus lives in coral reefs in the Caribbean."
View the SourceCrown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) (Wikipedia)
- Home To: Crown-of-thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci), Wikipedia intro states: "he Indian Ocean, and across the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of Central America. It occurs where coral reefs or hard coral communities occur in the region."
- Home To: Crown-of-thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci), Wikipedia intro: "he Indian Ocean, and across the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of Central America. It occurs where coral reefs or hard coral communities occur in the region."
View the SourceBlue-ringed Octopus (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHome To: Blue-ringed Octopus, Wikipedia intro: "us species of octopus that can be found in shells between rocks and crevices in tide pools and also coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, from Japan to..."View the Source Sargassum, Wikipedia
Home To: Sargassum, Wikipedia intro: "t Atlantic Sargassum Belt (GASB). Most of the macroalgae species inhabit shallow coastal waters and coral reefs, but some are planktonic (free-floating) or pela..."View the Source Aliger gigas - Wikipedia
Home To: Queen Conch, Wikipedia intro: "ly reside in seagrass beds, which are sandy plains covered in swaying sea grass and associated with coral reefs, although the exact habitat of this species vari..."View the Source Wikipedia: Symbiodinium
WikipediaHome To: Symbiodinium, Wikipedia intro: "mmunities. These dinoflagellates are therefore among the most abundant eukaryotic microbes found in coral reef ecosystems. Symbiodinium are colloquially called..."View the Source Wikipedia: Bigfin Reef Squid
WikipediaHome To: Bigfin Reef Squid, Wikipedia intro: "Mediterranean as a Lessepsian migrant. They are commonly found near the shoreline, near rocks, and coral reefs. They are fished extensively for human consumptio..."View the Source Wikipedia: Zebra Shark
WikipediaHome To: Zebra Shark, Wikipedia intro: "member of the family Stegostomatidae. It is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, frequenting coral reefs and sandy flats to a depth of 62 m (200 ft). Zeb..."View the Source Wikipedia: Blacktip reef shark
Home To: Blacktip Reef Shark, Wikipedia intro: "on the first dorsal fin and its caudal fin). Among the most abundant sharks inhabiting the tropical coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, this species p..."View the Source Wikipedia: Lionfish
WikipediaHome To: Lionfish, Wikipedia intro: "Lionfish are venomous marine ray-finned fish of the genus Pterois, native to coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific. They are prolific coral fish characterized by cons..."View the Source Tasselled wobbegong (Wikipedia)
Home To: Tasselled wobbegong, Wikipedia intro: "he family Orectolobidae and the only extant member of the genus Eucrossorhinus. It inhabits shallow coral reefs off northern Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent..."View the Source Giant barrel sponge (Wikipedia)
Home To: Giant Barrel Sponge (Xestospongia muta), IntroductionView the Source Ascarosepion latimanus (Wikipedia)
Home To: Broadclub Cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus), IntroductionView the Source Cook Pine (Wikidata)
Epaulette Shark (Wikidata)
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