Why are coral reefs fragile ecosystems?

If leakage of CO2 occurred in the vicinity of a coral reef, the inhibition of carbonate precipitation and/or dissolution of carbonate could have a devastating impact on the local ecosystem. The global distribution of shallow water tropical and subtropical coral reefs is shown in Figure 7. read more

Any ecosystem is a fragile ecosystem! That is, if you apply the correct pressure to it. Coral reefs are usually robust, balanced, dynamic, self-regulating ecosystems that will have greater or lesser populations of all the species of plants and animals that live there, depending on the climate conditions: water temperature, amount of sunlight, salinity, etc. read more

Biologically, the reefs are considered the most productive underwater ecosystems. Reefs also form a barrier between the waves and the shore and form foundation for thousands of tropical islands. Still, corals are very fragile. read more