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Palmyra Atoll, NOAA photo by Erin Looney |
What do you know about coral reefs? Most people would answer this question with some bit of information gathered from a documentary or animated film set in coral reefs. While few people have spent much time in coral reefs, many could identify them as places of exquisite beauty and diversity. A visit to any aquarium in the world will demonstrate this, as many exhibits are dedicated to these essential ecosystems.To read the rest of the article, click on "Giant Coral Reefs—Too Old for a Young Earth?" For a related item, you may like to see "Rapid Reef Growth? We Don't Mind Atoll".
Marine ecologists also recognize coral reefs as places with incredible diversity and sources of diversity for many other marine environments. In fact, almost 25% of the surveyed marine animal groups living in open oceans began in reefs and spread into other ecosystems. What is it about coral reefs that allow them to support so much life and generate diversity?
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