Home›Species›Ecosystem›Great Barrier ReefEcosystemGreat Barrier ReefMarine and Coral ReefReference and ClassificationThoroughly VerifiedThe world's largest coral reef ecosystem, a network of nearly three thousand individual reefs and hundreds of islands stretching along Australia's northeastern coast, visible from space and built over thousands of years by colonies of tiny coral polyps depositing calcium carbonate skeletons. It supports an immense concentration of marine life, including thousands of fish species, hundreds of coral species, sea turtles and dugongs, all dependent on the reef-building corals that form the ecosystem's physical foundation. Rising ocean temperatures have triggered repeated mass coral bleaching events in recent decades, in which heat-stressed corals expel the symbiotic algae that give them both color and much of their food supply, and severe or repeated bleaching can kill the coral outright, making the reef one of the most closely monitored indicators of ocean warming worldwide. This entry describes the reef as a living ecosystem; its physical extent as a landform sits with the Geography atlas.FactsGreat Barrier ReefConnectionsIn the Other AtlasesSourcesTake a Related QuizComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsClassificationBiogeographic RealmWell-attestedAustralasian 1Protected StatusWell-attestedManaged or Multiple-Use Protection 2Area (sq km)Well-attested344,400 1Great Barrier ReefFilter Results31 entriesCommon GroupAllBox Jellyfish (Cubozoa) (1)Cephalopods (Octopus, Squid, Nautilus, Cuttlefish) (4)Cichlids, Anemonefish And Damselfish (7)Free-Living Flatworms (1)Gulls, Terns And Auks (2)Other Bony Fish (2)Perch-Like Fishes (Perciformes) (1)Sea Cucumbers (Holothuroidea) (1)Sea Stars (Asteroidea) (1)Sharks, Rays And Chimaeras (1)Stony Corals (Scleractinia) (1)Turtles And Tortoises (Testudines) (5)TaxonomyAllAcropora (1)Amphiprion (6)Animalia (1)Asteroidea (1)Cheloniidae (4)Chondrichthyes (1)Cubozoa (1)Delphinidae (1)Dermochelyidae (1)Echinodermata (1)Laridae (1)Nautilus (2)Perciformes (3)Placozoa (1)Platyhelminthes (1)Sepiida (1)Sirenia (1)Spirulida (1)Sterna (1)HabitatAllCoral Reef (8)Estuary (2)Freshwater (1)Intertidal Zone (2)Mangrove Forest (1)Marine (11)Neritic Zone (2)Open Ocean (1)Seagrass Meadow (2)Conservation StatusAllCritically Endangered (2)Data Deficient (3)Least Concern (13)Not Evaluated (3)Vulnerable (5)Everyday GroupAllBox Jellyfish (Cubozoa) (1)Cephalopods (Octopus, Squid, Nautilus, Cuttlefish) (4)Cichlids, Anemonefish And Damselfish (7)Free-Living Flatworms (1)Gulls, Terns And Auks (2)Other Bony Fish (2)Perch-Like Fishes (Perciformes) (1)Sea Cucumbers (Holothuroidea) (1)Sea Stars (Asteroidea) (1)Sharks, Rays And Chimaeras (1)Stony Corals (Scleractinia) (1)Turtles And Tortoises (Testudines) (5)DietAllCarnivore (12)Detritivore or Scavenger (2)Filter Feeder (1)Herbivore (3)Omnivore (9)Parasitic (1)Piscivore (3)System (Realm)AllFreshwater (1)Marine (30)Marine and Freshwater (1)ThreatsAllBiological Resource Use (1)Relationship to PeopleAllEcotourism and Research (2)Farmed or Commercially Raised (1)Hunted or Fished (13)Kept as Pets (8)No Significant Interaction with Humans (2)Used in Traditional Medicine (1)Venomous or Dangerous to Humans (1)Living or ExtinctAllYes (27)Where It LivesAllAfrica (6)Albania (2)Algeria (3)Angola (4)Antigua and Barbuda (4)Argentina (4)Australasia (2)Australia (2)Australia (12)Bahamas (4)Bahrain (3)Bangladesh (4)Barbados (4)Belgium (3)Belize (5)Benin (4)Brazil (5)Brunei (4)Cabo Verde (3)Cameroon (4)Canada (3)Central America (1)Chile (4)China (8)Colombia (6)Comoros (1)Costa Rica (5)Cote d'Ivoire (4)Cuba (5)Cyprus (3)Democratic Republic of the Congo (4)Denmark (4)Djibouti (4)Dominica (4)Dominican Republic (4)Ecuador (4)Egypt (4)Equatorial Guinea (3)Eritrea (5)Federated States of Micronesia (3)Fiji (5)France (2)Gabon (4)Gambia (3)Ghana (4)Greece (1)Grenada (4)Guam (1)Guatemala (1)Guinea (3)Guinea-Bissau (1)Guyana (1)Haiti (1)Honduras (2)India (1)Indonesia (2)Jamaica (1)Japan (2)Kenya (2)Madagascar (5)Malay Archipelago (1)Marshall Islands (1)Mauritius (3)Melanesia (1)Mexico (2)Morocco (1)Mozambique (4)New Zealand (2)Nicaragua (1)Niger (1)North America (5)Norway (6)Panama (1)Papua New Guinea (2)Portugal (1)Republic of the Congo (4)Seychelles (1)South Africa (2)South America (5)South Asia (7)Spain (5)Sweden (2)Taiwan (4)Tanzania (2)Tonga (1)United Arab Emirates (4)United Kingdom (3)United States (3)Uruguay (1)Vanuatu (1)Venezuela (2)Western Sahara (2)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 31Barrier Reef AnemonefishGreat Barrier ReefBlack-naped TernGreat Barrier ReefBroadclub Cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus)Great Barrier ReefCarukia barnesiGreat Barrier ReefChambered NautilusGreat Barrier ReefCinnamon ClownfishGreat Barrier ReefCrown-of-thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci)Great Barrier ReefDugongGreat Barrier ReefFlatback Sea TurtleGreat Barrier ReefGreater Crested TernGreat Barrier ReefGreen Sea TurtleGreat Barrier ReefGymnocranius audleyiGreat Barrier ReefHawksbill Sea TurtleGreat Barrier ReefIndo-Pacific humpback dolphinGreat Barrier ReefLeatherback Sea TurtleGreat Barrier ReefLoggerhead Sea TurtleGreat Barrier ReefMaroon ClownfishGreat Barrier ReefOcellaris ClownfishGreat Barrier ReefOrange ClownfishGreat Barrier ReefOrange-fin AnemonefishGreat Barrier ReefPersian Carpet FlatwormGreat Barrier ReefPink Skunk ClownfishGreat Barrier ReefRam's Horn SquidGreat Barrier ReefSchindleria brevipinguisGreat Barrier ReefSea CucumberGreat Barrier ReefSea SpongeGreat Barrier ReefSeahorseGreat Barrier ReefStaghorn CoralGreat Barrier ReefStingrayGreat Barrier ReefTrichoplaxGreat Barrier ReefWhite-patch NautilusGreat Barrier ReefConnectionsDemonstratesCoral Bleaching, Natural Phenomena Well-attested The Great Barrier Reef has suffered repeated mass bleaching events during marine heatwaves.Source Coral Bleaching (NOAA Ocean Service)El Nino-Southern Oscillation, Natural Phenomena Well-attested El Nino-linked ocean warming was the principal driver of the mass coral bleaching events documented on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, 2016 and 2017, making it a well-studied case of ENSO's effect on a marine ecosystem.Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationtier 1Erosion, Natural Phenomena Well-attested Recorded for the reef's bioerosion process specifically (parrotfish grazing and boring organisms), the living-world facet of erosion, not the reef's exposure to wave or storm erosion generally.Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationtier 1Ocean Acidification, Natural Phenomena Well-attested Source What Is Ocean Acidification (NOAA OA Program)tier 1Symbiosis, Natural Phenomena Well-attested Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationtier 1HostsBarrier Reef Anemonefish, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Amphiprion akindynosBlack-naped Tern, Species Well-attested Source Black-naped Tern (Wikipedia)Broadclub Cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus), Species Well-attested Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Sepia latimanus accountCarukia barnesi, Species Well-attested Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Carukia barnesiChambered Nautilus, Species Well-attested Source Chambered Nautilus (Wikipedia)tier 2Cinnamon Clownfish, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Cinnamon clownfishCrown-of-thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci), Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: SeahorseAdditional Source Great Barrier Reef - WikipediaArticle textDugong, Species Well-attested Source Dugong (Wikipedia)tier 2Flatback Sea Turtle, Species Well-attested Source Flatback Sea Turtle (Wikipedia)tier 2Greater Crested Tern, Species Well-attested Source Greater crested tern (Wikipedia)Green Sea Turtle, Species Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundGymnocranius audleyi, Species Well-attested Source FishBase: Gymnocranius audleyi (FishBase)Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Species Well-attested Source Hawksbill sea turtle, WikipediaIndo-Pacific humpback dolphin, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: SeahorseAdditional Source Great Barrier Reef - WikipediaArticle textLeatherback Sea Turtle, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: SeahorseAdditional Source Great Barrier Reef - WikipediaArticle textLoggerhead Sea Turtle, Species Well-attested Source Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Wikipedia)tier 2Maroon Clownfish, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Maroon clownfishOcellaris Clownfish, Species Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundOrange Clownfish, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Orange clownfishOrange-fin Anemonefish, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Orange-fin anemonefishPersian Carpet Flatworm, Species Well-attested Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Pseudobiceros bedfordiPink Skunk Clownfish, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Pink skunk clownfishtier 2Ram's Horn Squid, Species Well-attested Source Spirula (Wikipedia)Schindleria brevipinguis, Species Well-attested Source Schindleria brevipinguis (Wikipedia)Sea Cucumber, Species Well-attested Source Sea cucumber - WikipediaSea Sponge, Species Well-attested Source Sponge, WikipediaSeahorse, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: SeahorseAdditional Source Great Barrier Reef - WikipediaArticle textStaghorn Coral, Species Well-attested Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Acropora cervicornis (Animal Diversity Web)Stingray, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: SeahorseAdditional Source Great Barrier Reef - WikipediaArticle textTrichoplax, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Trichoplaxtier 2White-patch Nautilus, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Nautilus stenomphalusIn BiomeMarine, Biomes Well-attested Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationtier 1Long-Form ArticlesHalf the Living Coral, Gone in Thirty Years, Articles Well-attested In the Other AtlasesSame AsThe Great Barrier ReefAlso in Geography Atlas: the same subject.Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationtier 1Found InAustraliaAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.Sources1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationtier 1National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationnesdis.noaa.gov/news/the-great-barrier-reef, article bodySo extensive, it is visible from space, the Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef ecosystem. Stretching 2,300 km along Australia's northeast coastline, this complex of shallow water reefs and islands is home to thousands of species of fish, invertebrates, algae, reptiles, birds, and algae.Biogeographic realm: australasian (derived from location stated in entity description)In Biome: MarineDemonstrates: SymbiosisDemonstrates: ErosionDemonstrates: El Nino-Southern OscillationView the Source2. Great Barrier Reef - WikipediaIntroductionwas selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981Hosts: Seahorse, Article textForty-nine species of pipefish and nine species of seahorse have been recorded.Hosts: Stingray, Article textAround 125 species of shark, stingray, skates or chimaera live on the reef.Hosts: Leatherback Sea Turtle, Article textSix species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed: the green sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, flatback turtle, and the olive ridley.Hosts: Crown-of-thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci), Article textOther environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff of humanmade pollutants, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, dumping of dredging sludge and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish.Hosts: Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, Article textThirty species of cetaceans have been recorded in the Great Barrier Reef, including the dwarf minke whale, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, and the humpback whale.View the SourceCoral Bleaching (NOAA Ocean Service)National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationDemonstrates: Coral BleachingView the SourceWhat Is Ocean Acidification (NOAA OA Program)tier 1NOAA Ocean Acidification ProgramDemonstrates: Ocean Acidification, A Timeline of Evidence sectionQuote, Demonstrates: Ocean Acidification, A Timeline of Evidence sectionOver the past 250 years, the ocean has become about 26% more acidic on average globally.World Wildlife FundWorld Wildlife FundHosts: Green Sea TurtleHosts: Ocellaris ClownfishView the SourceWikipedia: Nautilus stenomphalusHosts: White-patch Nautilus, Wikipedia intro: "utilus stenomphalus, also known as the white-patch nautilus, is a species of nautilus native to the Great Barrier Reef. N. stenomphalus is very similar to N. po..."Hosts: White-patch Nautilus, Article text: "Nautilus stenomphalus, also known as the white-p"Nautilus stenomphalus, also known as the white-patch nautilus, is a species of nautilus native to the Great Barrier Reef.View the SourceWikipedia: Maroon clownfishHosts: Maroon Clownfish, Wikipedia intro: "ish, is a species of anemonefish found in the Indo-Pacific from western Indonesia to Taiwan and the Great Barrier Reef. They can grow up to be about 17 cm (6.7..."View the SourceWikipedia: Orange-fin anemonefishHosts: Orange-fin Anemonefish, Wikipedia intro: "e family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes, found in the Western Pacific north of the Great Barrier Reef from the surface to 20 m, to include the..."View the SourceWikipedia: Amphiprion akindynosHosts: Barrier Reef Anemonefish, Wikipedia intro: "indynos, the Barrier Reef anemonefish, is a species of anemonefish that is principally found in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, but also in nearby location..."View the SourceSchindleria brevipinguis (Wikipedia)Hosts: Schindleria brevipinguis, Wikipedia intro: "fish in family Gobiidae of Perciformes. Known as the stout infantfish, it is native to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea."View the SourceDugong (Wikipedia)tier 2Wikimedia FoundationHosts: Dugong, AustraliaQuote, Hosts: Dugong, AustraliaThe Great Barrier Reef provides important feeding areas for the species; this reef area houses a stable population of around 10,000, although the population concentration has shifted over time.View the SourceChambered Nautilus (Wikipedia)tier 2Wikimedia FoundationHosts: Chambered Nautilus, SubspeciesQuote, Hosts: Chambered Nautilus, SubspeciesThe distribution of N. p. pompilius covers the Andaman Sea east to Fiji and southern Japan south to the Great Barrier Reef.View the SourceLoggerhead Sea Turtle (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaHosts: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, DistributionQuote, Hosts: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, DistributionEastern Australia and Japan are the major nesting areas, with the Great Barrier Reef deemed an important nesting area.View the SourceHawksbill sea turtle, WikipediaHosts: Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Indo-Pacific subpopulationQuote, Hosts: Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Indo-Pacific subpopulationIn Australia, hawksbills are known to nest on Milman Island in the Great Barrier Reef.View the SourceSea cucumber - WikipediaHosts: Sea Cucumber, Commercial harvestQuote, Hosts: Sea Cucumber, Commercial harvestOverfishing of sea cucumbers in the Great Barrier Reef is threatening their population.View the SourceSponge, WikipediaHosts: Sea Sponge, DefensesQuote, Hosts: Sea Sponge, DefensesMany sponges shed spicules, forming a dense carpet several meters deep that keeps away echinoderms which would otherwise prey on the sponges.View the SourceFlatback Sea Turtle (Wikipedia)tier 2Wikimedia FoundationHosts: Flatback Sea Turtle, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Flatback Sea Turtle, Distribution and habitatThe main nesting sites in this range are the southern Great Barrier Reef, Wild Duck, and Curtis Island.View the SourceWikipedia: Orange clownfishHosts: Orange Clownfish, LeadQuote, Hosts: Orange Clownfish, LeadThe Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority regulates the number of collection permits issued to aquarium fish dealers who seek this, and other tropical fish within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.View the SourceWikipedia: Pink skunk clownfishtier 2WikipediaHosts: Pink Skunk Clownfish, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Pink Skunk Clownfish, Distribution and habitatA. perideraion is found throughout the Malay Archipelago and Melanesia, in the west Pacific Ocean from the Great Barrier Reef and Tonga, north to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan and in the eastern Indian Ocean from Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, through the Rowley Shoals, Scott and Ashmore Reefs, Cocos and Christmas Islands to Sumatra.View the SourceWikipedia: Cinnamon clownfishHosts: Cinnamon Clownfish, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Cinnamon Clownfish, Distribution and habitatA. melanopus is widely distributed in the western Pacific, from the Great Barrier Reef north to the Marshall Islands and Guam, New Guinea and from Vanuatu and New Caledonia to eastern Indonesia.View the SourceGreater crested tern (Wikipedia)Hosts: Greater Crested Tern, FeedingQuote, Hosts: Greater Crested Tern, FeedingA study of an area of the Great Barrier Reef where the number of breeding great crested terns has grown ten-fold, probably due to extra food from trawl by-catch, suggested that lesser crested and sooty terns have moved away and now breed on a part of the reef where fishing is banned.View the SourceBlack-naped Tern (Wikipedia)Hosts: Black-naped Tern, Laying periodQuote, Hosts: Black-naped Tern, Laying periodEgg laying begins in India and Polynesia in May, followed by colonies in the Philippines in July, north-east Australia in September, oceanic Indian colonies from September to November, and the Great Barrier Reef from November to December.View the SourceAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Pseudobiceros bedfordiAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Persian Carpet Flatworm, Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Persian Carpet Flatworm, Geographic RangeThey are rarely seen but most reports have reported sightings on the Great Barrier Reef, the coast of Guam, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Australia.View the SourceSpirula (Wikipedia)Hosts: Ram's Horn Squid, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Ram's Horn Squid, Distribution and habitatThe species was observed for the first time in its natural habitat in 2020, when an ROV of the Schmidt Ocean Institute recorded it in the depths near the northern Great Barrier Reef.View the SourceWikipedia: Trichoplaxtier 2WikipediaHosts: Trichoplax, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Trichoplax, Distribution and habitatTrichoplax has been collected, among other places, in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean, off Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, Japan, Vietnam, Brazil, and Papua New Guinea, and on the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia.View the SourceFishBase: Gymnocranius audleyi (FishBase)FishBaseHosts: Gymnocranius audleyi, DistributionQuote, Hosts: Gymnocranius audleyi, DistributionWestern Pacific: Australia (east coast of southern Queensland and the southern half of the Great Barrier Reef).View the SourceAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Sepia latimanus accountAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Broadclub Cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus), Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Broadclub Cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus), Geographic RangeMore specifically, broadclub cuttlefish are found in the Malacca Strait, the South and East China Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea, and off the coast of Fiji.View the SourceAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Acropora cervicornis (Animal Diversity Web)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Staghorn Coral, Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Staghorn Coral, Geographic RangeThese species are also located in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia (McGregor 1974).View the SourceAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Carukia barnesiAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Carukia barnesi, Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Carukia barnesi, Geographic RangeIt is also found in the Cairns regions and the Great Barrier Reef.View the SourceTake a Related QuizWetlands, Reefs and Deltas: New EcosystemsCovers this kind of entry.Comments (0)No comments yet. 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