Marine ecosystems found in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Corals picture taken from Brewers Bay on St. ThomasFormation of fringing reefs (top), barrier reefs (middle) and atolls (bottom).[1]
One of the marine ecosystems found in the U.S Virgin Islands are the coral reefs. These coral reefs can be located between the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. These coral reefs have an area of 297.9 km2, along with other marine habitats that are in between.[2] The way these coral reefs grow are by coral larvae swimming freely and attaching themselves to hard surfaces around the islands and start to develop a skeleton on the outside of their skin to protect themselves from predators but also allow a new place for other coral larvae to attach to and grow on.[3] These corals can form into three different structures; fringing reefs, which are reefs that are close to the shore, barrier reefs, which are reefs that are alongside the shore and is separated by deep water, and an atoll reef which is a coral reef that circles a lagoon or body of water.[1]
^ ab"Corals" NOAA National Ocean Service Education: Corals.
^Catanzaro, Don, Rick Nemeth, Caroline Rogers, Zandy Hillis-Starr, and Marcia Taylor, "The Status of the Coral Reefs of The U.S. Virgin Islands"
^"How Coral Reefs Grow" Coral Reef Alliance.
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