Coral Reefs: Nature's WondersWestern Australian Museum, 2005 - 289 pagine An introduction to the coral reef biology and ecology in a full-color identification guide to the better-known corals of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic.Corals have for too long been regarded as interesting natural mementos, usually put on display on a shelf or in a glass cabinet, rather than as living animals, part of a captivating and delicately balanced ecological system. Today, scuba diving has provided a way for naturalists to study coral reefs as living ecological communities and for the sport diver to recognise many corals that were only known as dead display specimens. True reef-building corals are limited in geographical distribution to the clear, warm sunlit waters of the tropical oceans. There are countless reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific region and Australia s Great Barrier Reef is the largest, and most spectacular, coral reef province in the world. About 2000 kilometres long and located on Queensland s continental shelf, it is made up of over 2900 individual coral reefs composed mainly of consolidated limestone debris formed from calcium carbonate with living corals on its surface. They vary in size, form and type, and the coral reef could be considered as the marine counterpart of a tropical rain forest. Other barrier reefs are located in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, but most of these are much smaller. Coral Reefs Nature s Wonders provides an introduction to the coral reef biology and ecology in a full-colour identification guide to the better-known coral genera of this region. It will take you into the tranquil underwater world of subdued sunlight, living coral colonies, brilliantly coloured fishes, sponges, algae, cowries and giant clams. It is this combination of marine life that gives the coral reefs their mystique. This book brings home to us the fragility of the whole coral community in its exposure to danger, not only from adverse sea and weather conditions, but also from other inhabitants of the marine environment. Hopefully it will help us appreciate the need to conserve and protect the world s coral reefs." |
Sommario
General Introduction | |
Reef Corals 17 | |
Scleractinian Corals 67 | |
Copyright | |
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1848 Common name Acropora algae animals areas Australia Barrier Reef bleaching Brain Coral branches brown brownish calcareous Characteristics Common close-up colour Common name Soft Common name Star coral growth coral polyps coral reef corallites cream damage Dana divers diving E-mail Edwards & Haime Ehrenberg encrusting fish fringing reef Fungia FUNGIIDAE Genus gorgonians Gray green greenish grey grow growth form Habitat Common Habitat Reef flat Habitat Reef slopes Hans Hass hard corals J.E.N. Veron Jean Deas Lamarck Linnaeus living corals locations massive metres Millepora Montipora Mushroom Coral name Soft Coral name Star Coral Ocean orange Pemuteran Philippines Photograph pink Porites protected purple Red Sea reef-building corals ReefBase rounded colonies Scientific name scientists sclerites scuba scuba diving sea bed Sea Fan Sha'ab Rumi skeleton slopes and lagoon snorkelers Soft Coral spawn species staghorn corals starfish Stylaster Sydney tentacles tiny tissue tourism tropical Tutuba Uncommon usually Vanuatu yellow zooxanthellae