Snorkeling exploration with underwater views of the coral reefs.
Reticulo starfish.
The eruption of long-spined starfish can put coral reefs at bay, and each long-spined starfish can eat an average of 6 square meters of coral a year.
Each thorn of The Mei's long sea urchin is different in color. They often hide in crevices in the reef.
In the eyes of many tourists, the white and soft beaches and the turquoise waters are the representatives of the beautiful coast of Hainan Island. Every year, Hainan Island attracts more than 80 million tourists with such a scenic business card. This has to be said to the credit of coral reefs.
Coral reefs are widely distributed in the coastal area of Hainan Island, covering an area of 140.04 square kilometers, of which mature coral reefs can be seen in Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning, Sanya, Danzhou and Lingao. Among them, the coastal islands such as Wuzhizhou and Wanning in Sanya can be seen in coral reef landscapes comparable to Southeast Asia, which is an important tourism resource.
What an ecosystem coral reef is
Of all marine ecosystems, coral reefs are undoubtedly the most attractive. The world's coral reefs, which account for less than 2.5% of the ocean's area, support nearly 30% of marine life, and it is not an exaggeration to call them the tropical rainforests of the oceans.
Reef-building stony corals are environmentally demanding and are distributed only in warm but not too warm waters. Corals are not only afraid of the cold but also afraid of the heat, the most suitable temperature is 20 ° C - 28 ° C. Too high a water temperature can cause the symbiotic algae of the coral to escape, causing the coral to bleach.
Reef-making stony corals are a relatively primitive spiny animal that are relatives of anemones and jellyfish. But seemingly weak polyps have created a geological miracle that can be seen in space.
Coral reef is a geological concept that mainly consists of coral skeleton remnants that form a reef rock structure. Corals are the main builders of coral reefs, and ecosystems that develop on coral reef bodies are called coral reef ecosystems.
As they grow, tiny polyps absorb calcium ions from the ocean to form limestone bones. The bones slowly pile up and are deposited by biological bonding, forming huge coral reefs.
In addition, the complex three-dimensional structure of coral reefs provides habitats and spawning grounds for many marine animals, and small fish can use the narrow gaps in coral reefs to avoid predators by large fish.
Pioneer and guardian of the coast
Hainan Island is located in the tropical northern edge, is china's most suitable for growing coral areas, along the coast, you can see a dotted coral reef plate dotted around Hainan Island, like a string of gorgeous pearl necklace. However, you may not imagine that such a beautiful coral reef is the bravest and fearless coastal guardian of Hainan Island.
The complex structure of the coral reef has a very strong wave suppression function and is the first defensive line of coastal guard. On coasts with coral reefs tend to be calm. Standing on the coast and looking out, you can see the breaking wave belt in the distance, and the coral reef is like a wall, isolating the wild waves from the coral reef disk. Fishermen along the coast of Hainan also like to park small fishing boats in small fishing ports protected by coral reefs. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami also proved that sri lanka was very badly affected off the coast, but places such as Black Kaduwa, protected by coral reefs, were much lighter and there were no casualties.
As a pioneer of the coast, many coastal lands in Hainan are masterpieces of coral reefs. When surveying lingshui Xincun Port a few years ago, I saw that the soil excavated from the construction site was full of coral fossils that had been deposited for many years, and such geological structures were not rare in the coast of Hainan.
The anemone is not only the home of the clownfish, but also the Amberto shrimp (sexy shrimp). Sexy shrimp is always twisting and turning on the ass, and the white markings on the body can also hide it well above the anemone.
The canopy cone anemone is much smaller than the finger anemone, and there are also zooxanthellae symbiosis. When the environment is suitable, its tentacles will swell into a nipple shape, increasing the photosynthetic area.
Horned honeycomb corals are also common coral taxa, with skeletons resembling beehives, hence the name. Horned hive corals are also highly adaptable and widely distributed. So we can often pick up their bones on the beach.
Reef-building stony corals are the main builders of coral reefs and the main components of coral reef ecosystems. Because of the efforts to build reef corals, such a colorful ecosystem has been created.
Helmet-shaped corals are very adaptable and can be distributed in a variety of habitats, even in turbid mangroves.
How to treat coral reefs well
Coral reefs are an ideal habitat for many marine life, and nature is also a paradise for many Hainan nature lovers to explore the ocean. Leave with anticipation, open your eyes wide with curiosity, grab your snorkeling gear, and set off to explore the beautiful underwater gardens.
Put on your glasses, walk into the cool waters, and slowly swim towards the middle of the sea. It is often after crossing some bare reef that comes into view. However, coral reefs are more than just fun, they also have the role of natural landmaking and coastal protection.
So, as ordinary people, how do we protect coral reefs?
First of all, it is necessary to refuse to buy corals, bricks and other products, and those who encounter illegal transactions can report to the relevant departments; secondly, when conducting water sports, use coral-friendly sunscreen, do not touch, collect, rub corals and other sensitive organisms, do not participate in diving sports organized by unqualified institutions, encounter acts of damaging coral reefs, and report to the relevant departments in a timely manner; then advocate low-carbon life, reduce unnecessary carbon emissions, and use less or no disposable plastic products as much as possible.
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About the species of coral
Reef-building corals: The builders of coral reefs are polyps, polyps belong to the Phylum of spiny animals, a wide variety of species, there are currently 186 species of reef-building corals, belonging to 16 families and 57 genera. (Source: State of Coral Reefs in China Report 2019/ Coral Reef Branch of the China Pacific Society. ）
In addition to reef-making stony corals, the coral family also includes other family relatives such as soft corals and deep-water stone corals.
Soft corals: Corals with very soft bodies, no hard bones, only tiny bone needles scattered inside the tissues, their groups are made up of thick tissues, soft and elastic, fishermen call them "sea pork".
Stony coral: A class of marine multicellular invertebrates, hard as stone, because of the ability to secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard group bone, is the most important part of the coral reef body. (Hainan Daily Article\Photo Special Writer Gu Feng)