The Forest Under The Blue
There is a beautiful saying I heard sometime back,” In search of God do not waste your future, God is around you in the form of nature" This line in itself explains just how valuable nature and its existence is for the survival of the modern world. While most of us have our lives pretty busy teeming with the rush hours of commute and work, we can take some time off and witness the wonders that mother nature has carved out from the cycle of millions of years of metamorphosing to which we organisms have to abide and thrive around. But most of the populace tends to admire the stars rather than a sight that is right next to our backyard, a sight that is not only otherworldly but also teeming with life. I’m talking about the deep blue, from the coastal fringes of the Andaman Islands to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, our oceans are blessed with life.
Here, I’ll be talking about the forests under these blue waters and how organisms thrive under current problems such as climate change, pollution and overfishing.
The Origins
Now to start, how are these underwater forests formed?
Coral reefs are generally formed when free-swimming coral larvae attach to submerged rock formations or hard surfaces that are present around the edges of an island or continent. These corals are formed from small structures called polyps that secrete calcium carbonate beneath their bodies forming a hard skeletal structure beneath them.
As they start expanding, these underwater forests take up the form and characteristics of 3 structures: Fringing, Barrier and Atolls.
Fringing Reefs
Fringing reefs are the type of reefs that grow close to the coasts of the mainland or island. They are generally seen attached to the shore but back reefs are also found in shallowly submerged lagoons. Fringing reefs are divided into 2 regions or zones: the fore reef and back reef. Fore-reef is the area of the reef farthest away from shore (closest to the ocean). Typically, these areas slope downwards sometime to great depths for instance, Finding Nemo’s drop-off.
This area has the largest corals because it provides an "easier" environment to live in with less wave action.
Barrier Reefs
Barrier reefs are characterized by reefs that are separated from the main coast by a deep channel or lagoon. The initial formation occurs on the offshore edge in open water, with subsequent growth parallel to or toward the coast. A prime example of such reefs are the Great Barrier Reefs off the coast of North Western Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef is known to be around 8000 years old and is composed of complex structures that are formed by nearly 3000 individual reefs. These reefs hold diverse communities of marine fauna and flora like no other, that are just mind-boggling to our eyes.
Atolls
Atolls are ring-shaped reefs that occur in mid-ocean, often in linear island chains or archipelagoes. The most extensive groups of atolls occur in the Pacific Ocean but there are also numerous atolls in the central Indian Ocean.
The reef platforms that form atolls are generally characterized by reefs that reach sea level, especially on the windward margin of the reef platform, although there is considerable variation in the extent to which the reef crest is continuous around the entire perimeter of the central lagoon.
Coral Ecosystems
Just like there is a plethora of flora and fauna that provide us with complex ecosystems that we see often on the infographic channels like National Geographic, the world underwater is stunning, to say the least. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve watched movies such as Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, they provide the perfect insight into how amazing a coral ecosystem looks.
Certain species of fishes, sponges, sea urchins, sea anemones, crabs and sea oysters call corals their home. Corals not only provide habitats to certain species of organisms but also provide protection from major tsunamis as they take most of the impact themselves and reduce the amount of damage on the shores.
Types Of Corals
Corals like I mentioned earlier are formed when polyps release calcium carbonate beneath their bodies forming skeletal structures, there are various types of corals but I’ll be talking about 2 types of corals: Hard and Soft corals with some special mentions
Hard Corals
Hard Corals are foundational species of corals that are formed from the production of calcium carbonate skeletons. Hard corals create the physical substrate and three-dimensional layout that provides for the vast diversity of organisms that comprise coral reef ecosystems. The intricate and colorful colonies that make coral reefs attractive comprise hundreds to millions of individual polyps, each of which is a clonal copy of the original polyp. It can take up to 5-10 years for most corals to grow from a single polyp to a mature colony capable of reproducing the next generation.
Examples of hard corals are The elaborate and colorful colonies formed by Acropora and Porites. They make coral reefs such attractive destinations for tourism and are comprised of hundreds to millions of individual polyps, each of which is a clonal copy of the original, single polyp that first settled out of the plankton. It can take 5-10 years for most corals to grow from a single polyp to a mature colony capable of reproducing the next generation.
Soft Corals
Soft corals have soft bodies, no shocker, that move and flow with the ocean currents. Visually, soft corals resemble plants or trees with limbs blowing in the wind while hard corals resemble that to rocks. Soft corals do not have hard calcium carbonate skeletons like hard corals do. As a result, they do not build into reefs. Instead, they grow like trees and have a wood-like core and a soft exterior for protection. Examples of Soft Corals are Clavularia and Xenia.
Threats To Corals
Despite having an underwater forest that holds such pristine beauty, we humans collectively have led to its destruction. The rise in Climate change and increased ocean acidification has left a detrimental impact on the coral reefs present today. Along with that Tourism and have also played a role in coral degradation.
It is estimated that more than 50℅ of the corals have been lost which can increase to 75℅ by around 2050. The loss of coral reefs will not only damage the marine ecosystem but will also cause repercussions for the local fishermen who rely on the marine fauna that provide them with food and livelihood. Let’s do our part and reduce pollution, along with reducing carbon emissions to not only improve the health of our planet that would provide hope towards the future sustainability for humanity and the treasures present on our planet.
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