Coral reefs form one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth. When compared to other environments such as rainforests, the shear diversity of life is much more observable and frankly, often overwhelming. The constant movement of fishes interacting with each other and the myriad of invertebrates, both mobile and also the relatively static reef building corals, provide an ecosystem that takes an army of scientists to understand it.
Although these diverse and complex systems appeared more than 400 million years ago, coral reefs and their inhabitants are increasingly vulnerable to disturbance, both from natural and human causes. Understanding the interactions within this ecosystem is a challenge and minimizing impacts to coral reefs is a global task, but one that is crucial. Our research at CRRF aims to address the threats and understand the diversity of life on coral reefs, their distribution and remarkable ecological events.
