The levels of diversity of organic life in aquatic environmentsis comparable to those of the rainforest!
One quarter of the world’s marine species live on and around coral reefs‚ making them bustling stages on which various organism perform. The abundance of species forms a tightly linked food chain‚ the parts of which are inseparable and indispensable. Because Taiwan is situated in the warm waters of the Pacific where the warm and cold currents meet‚ it has a rocky coast along most of which traces of coral reefs can be seen; the northeast coast‚ the east coast and the coast of the outlying islands have the largest populations of coral reefs today.
Producers: Various algae add color to a coral reef; apart from large algae attached to the bed material‚ there are also microscopic floating algae and zooxanthellae.
The large algae Sargassum polycystum C. Agardh is brown in color.
Consumers: Floating organisms‚ herbivorous small fish‚ shrimps‚ crabs‚ shellfish‚ and other carnivorous animals.
 Perna viridis‚ commonly known as peacock clam‚ is a bottom-dwelling herbivorous consumer. 
The shrimpfish (Centriscus scutatu) feeds on plankton.
Decomposers: Bacteria decompose dead bodies‚ the nutrients are absorbed by the producers and energy once again enters the food chain cycle.
Understanding corals reefs Anthozoan include many species in the Coelenterata Phylum; they are tubular in shape and are encircled by tentacles‚ on the surface of which are numerous spine cells used to stun prey.
Coral is made up of anthozoan. The algae inside coral is collectively called Zooxanthellae. During the process of photosynthesis‚ Zooxanthellae will absorb the carbon dioxide metabolized by the anthozoan‚ helping the coral skeleton grow. The skeleton of coral can be roughly divided into two types. One forms bone needles to support the colony and is soft‚ while the other is hard. A coral reef is formed by the accumulation of calcium carbonate skeletons and their continuing calcification with the surrounding environment. The colorful reefs we see are piles of various kinds of coral‚ with hard skeleton coral as the base. As time passes‚ a large calcium carbonate reef is formed‚ but the only part that is alive is the surface. Within the reef are the traces of time‚ while the surface is the stage on which different kinds of coral‚ anemones‚ and algae perform.
Distribution of coral reefs
Coral reefs that protrude above the water are divided into the following types by the characteristics of distribution:
● Barrier reefs: encircle islands or land‚ separated from islands or land by an area of shallow water.
● Atoll reefs: Encircle areas of water‚ usually round in shape.
● Fringing reefs: they grow on the edge of islands or land‚ forming a platform that grows up to the surface.  Ideal conditions for coral reefs to appearFirst‚ let’s learn about the environmental conditions required for coral to grow and other factors that affect its formation:
● Temperature: the optimal range is 20 to 28 °C.
● Salinity: Insufficient salinity and excessive salinity are both unacceptable; the optimal range for salinity is 0.034 to 0.036%
● Growth bed material: needs to be something the anthozoan can attach to and grow upon‚ like rocks‚ large pebbles‚ or the skeletons of other coral; this is why coral are rarely seen on sandy sea beds.
● Water quality: Clear water is best; excess floating particles and sediment will suffocate the coral or affect the photosynthesis of the zooxanthellae.
● Sunlight: The zooxanthellae within the coral need sunlight to be able to carry out photosynthesis so coral is rarely seen beyond a certain water depth‚ or in places where the water is too turbid or places sunlight cannot reach. The above information tells us that coral is delicate and sensitive; excessively high temperature wastewater discharge‚ illegal dumping that creates sediment‚ and reckless fishing all cause coral ecological imbalance or coral bleaching. | 
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