What are the three main groups of organisms of a coral reef?

What are the three main groups of organisms of a coral reef?

Roles of Marine Organisms The biotic portion of the marine ecosystem includes three main groups called producers, consumers, and decomposers. The organisms in these groups all play a key role in contributing to a functioning ecosystem.

What are 3 primary consumers in the coral reef?

What are the primary consumers in the coral reef food web illustration? The primary consumers are zooplankton, corals, sponges, Atlantic blue tang, and queen conch.

What organisms make up coral reefs?

What is a coral reef? Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth, rivaled only by tropical rain forests. They are made up not only of hard and soft corals, but also sponges, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and much more.

Is a coral reef one organism?

Corals are animals, though, because they do not make their own food, as plants do. Most corals contain algae called zooxanthellae (pronounced zo-UH-zan-thuh-lay), which are plant-like organisms.

What are decomposers in the coral reef?

Decomposers: Fan worms, sea cucumbers, snails, crabs, bristle worms and bacteria are decomposers in the Great Barrier Reef.

How do organisms in a coral reef interact?

Interactions & Energy The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species that interact with each other and the physical environment. Through photosynthesis, phytoplankton, algae, and other plants convert light energy into chemical energy.

What is in a coral reef?

A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. They are most commonly found at shallow depths in tropical waters, but deep water and cold water coral reefs exist on smaller scales in other areas.

What are the three stages of coral reef formation?

The three types of reef represent stages in development of a coral reef over time.

• Fringing Reefs: Fringing reefs grow near the coastline around islands and continents.
• Barrier Reefs: As the name states, these reef types border along coastlines with a very wide and deep lagoon separating the two structures.
• Atoll Reefs: