A coral reef is a type of biotic reef that develops in tropical waters by the growth of coralline algae, hermatypic corals, and other marine organisms.
Coral reefs are typically massive biogenic formations of calcium carbonate (limestone) that is deposited within or around the bodies of the inhabitants of the reef as skeletal material.
This material gradually accumulates as debris and/or is knitted together by the continued growth of the attached forms living on the reef.
The corals that form the structure of the great reef ecosystems of tropical seas depend on these symbiotic photosynthesizing unicellular algae called "zooxanthellae" that live within their tissues.
When the zooxanthellae are expelled, the coral loses its pigment, leading to a bleached or completely white appearance.
Toxins are produced when water temperatures rise.
Southeast Asian coral reefs have the highest levels of biodiversity for the world's marine ecosystems.
They serve many functions, such as forming the core of livelihood for subsistence fishermen and even function as jewelry and construction materials.
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