Coral Ecosystems

The first 200 words of this essay...

What are Coral Ecosystems Like?

By Daniel Goode

1) - There are no coral reefs off the coast of the United Kingdom because the climate is not suitable for sustaining this form of life; there is much pollution caused mainly by passenger and cargo ships; this can cut out sunlight passing through the water which is necessary for the coral reef to survive; it also contributes towards poor water quality which has been shown to spread infectious diseases throughout the coral. The average temperature is also a hugely important factor; for coral to thrive the temperature must be between 25-30oC, however the UK has an average temperature of 13oC and therefore would not be suitable.

- Coral reefs cannot be formed close to areas in which there are large amounts of sediment (such as near various river estuaries); this is because of two main reasons. Firstly, when suspended in water, the sediment severely reduces the amount of light entering the water and thus there is not enough energy provided for the ecosystem. Secondly, as the sediment settles, it may bury the corals. This will cause them to spend large amounts of energy attempting to remove the