It still astounds me when people ask me that question. A year ago, I attended this modeling (no, I’m not a ramp model, I mean scientific modeling) course in China where people working in artificial intelligence to anthropology to fluid dynamics had all gathered for a month. I had to present a little introduction about what I was studying and just launched into it by basically saying, “Hey I study coral reef ecology and I’m looking into the dynamics of the seaweeds that are overtaking a lot of reefs around the world.” I glanced around the room and saw the blank faces, I paused and asked, “Coral reefs anyone?” Heads shaking. Fortunately, I had pictures handy in my laptop and that helped some. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that people living on large land masses situated in temperate regions would have no experience with tropical systems such as reefs.
Coral reefs are the only biologically-made non-human structures on Earth that are visible from outer space.
Astonishingly, they are built primarily by minute organisms: a symbiosis of an animal only at most a centimeter in size and a microscopic alga. The corals bud off to form every possible shape you can think of and through thousands of years eventually form the reef.
They are the rainforests of the sea. As you dive under the waves, it’s a dazzling array of form, color and life that will surround you. This ecosystem harbors a huge diversity of life from tiny cells to great white sharks. They can only be found in the tropics and subtropics in the three oceans but they lure millions of people to experience the awe and wonder only coral reefs can offer.
I’m proud to say that I’m from the Philippines, which holds the greatest biodiversity not only in coral reefs but also in its rainforests. If you draw a line from the top of the Philippines to Indonesia in the southwest to Papua New Guinea and back to the start, you’ll have drawn a triangle that encompasses the most diverse area in the whole world. This is the “hotspot” of biodiversity. Here hundreds of coral species and thousands of fish species can be found. But it’s not only an enumeration of the species that makes reefs so special. A reef is not just the sum of its species, every nook and cranny has a fascinating story to tell about the web of relationships of the creatures you find. Most people want to see the huge fishes and sharks when they dive in reefs, but look closely and you’ll see so much more! Maybe the porcupine of the sea: the Crown-of-Thorns starfish.
Or cleaning stations where predators drop their attitudes and open their mouths so little fish and shrimp can clean them. Or maybe the graceful dance of sea snakes.
Then again, maybe you’ll learn that fish crap just like humans do! Reefs give so much to humans: food, ornamentals, medicine, protection from waves and so much more. But it’s a wonder in itself…..
