Calcium in the Coral Reef.

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Coral Reef, ridge or elevated part of a relatively shallow area of the seafloor, approaching the sea's surface. It is formed by a rocklike accumulation of calcareous (-containing) exoskeletons of  animals, calcareous red , and . Built up layer by layer by living corals growing on top of the skeletons of past generations, coral reefs grow upwards at rates of 1 to 100 cm (0.4 to 40 in) per year. Coral reefs are tropical, extending to about 30° north and south of the equator and forming only where surface waters are never cooler than 16° C (61° F). They are, therefore, very vulnerable to climate changes. In 2001, the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) produced the first world atlas of coral reefs, identifying their biological diversity as well as the dangers presented by climate changes and human impact. According to their data, coral reefs occupy about 284,300 sq km (109,740 sq mi) worldwide—much less than previously thought.

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Coral reefs are  with well-defined structures that involve both photosynthetic plants and consumers in the sense explained in the article on . The outer layer of a reef consists of living  of coral. Within the coral animals live single-celled, round algae called zooxanthellae. Below and surrounding the polyps is a calcareous skeleton, both living and dead, that contains filamentous green algae. Other species of algae, both fleshy and calcareous, grow in the surface of old skeletal deposits. These algae and other associated plants make up most of the primary producers.

The photosynthetic zooxanthellae and filamentous green algae transfer some food ...

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