Interactions Among Species & Populations
A variety of relationships develop between the species and populations of the reef; together, these interactions form an ecosystem. They can benefit one of the partners and be completely useless or even harmful to the other. Small organisms settle on large ones and use them as a reliable protection from predators. Part of the inhabitants of the coral colony not only hides among the branches, but also destroys and eats it. It happens that such close relationships bring mutual benefit and help to successfully exist on the reef. Sometimes partners simply cannot exist without each other.
For example, an amphirprion, or a clown fish, cannot be seen without an anemone. At the slightest danger, the amphirprion rushes into the tentacles or climbs inside the anemone. Any other fish would have been immediately paralyzed by the poison of the stinging cells and swallowed, but these fish have developed a reliable defense against its deadly poison (Woodhead et al., 2019). Hermit crabs live in empty shells of gastropods, carrying them on themselves. In some of them, the protection is enhanced by the presence of anemones on the shell. The benefits of such a connection are mutual: for crab it includes protection and disguise, and for anemone it employs a change of habitats and a variety of food.
Interactions Among Global Biomes & Ecosystem
The association of global fish biomes with the host coral includes obvious advantages. These are a shelter from predators, a varied and abundant food, as well as a familiar environment that makes it easy to navigate. However, the interaction of the coral ecosystem with the aboveground ecosystem negatively affects fish and plants. Not sharp climatic fluctuations, but a high level of anthropogenic pressure leads to fatal consequences for this ecosystem.
There are numerous elements of the most severe anthropogenic pressure on coral ecosystems. Among them are discharges of industrial production and sewage from settlements, the entry of petroleum products into the water during offshore oil production, the appearance of fertilizers in the water due to intensive agricultural activity. Widespread deforestation in the tropical zone has led to massive soil flushing during rains, which reduces the transparency of seawater (Brandl et al., 2019). The increase in turbidity of water, coupled with fertilizers, does not give corals a chance to survive in competition with rapidly multiplying harmful algae inhabiting the surface of corals.
Importance of Conservation Genetics
The importance of conservation genetics in the survival of endangered species is extremely high. Genomic research is widely used to develop programs to restore populations of extremely small species. The introduction of genetically modified coral polyps or their symbionts into natural ecosystems can preserve reefs (Forsman et al., 2018). Currently, under the influence of anthropogenic factors, there is a reduction in biological diversity due to the elimination of species. Endangered species are the most important exhaustible resource with multidimensional value.
During the last century, under the influence of human activity, the rate of extinction of species has exceeded the natural rate many times. Irreversible and uncompensated destruction of the unique gene pool of the planet is taking place. To prevent its consequences, scientists’ resort to conservation genetics. An important application of one of its branches (synthetic biology) is to help species adapt to climate change when it becomes a matter of their survival (Forsman et al., 2018). One of the most acute problems in this regard is the extinction of corals. Synthetic biology is a means for artificial adaptation of corals to stress factors to prevent them from becoming endangered.
References
Brandl, S. J., Rasher, D. B., Côté, I. M., Casey, J. M., Darling, E. S., Lefcheck, J. S., & Duffy, J. E. (2019). Coral reef ecosystem functioning: Eight core processes and the role of biodiversity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 15(3), 1-10.
Forsman, Z. H., Maurin, P., Parry, M., Chung, A., Sartor, S., Hixon, M. A., … Toonen, R. J. (2018). The first Hawaii workshop for coral restoration & nurseries. Marine Policy, 9(6), 133-135.
Woodhead, A. J., Hicks, C. C., Norström, A. V., Williams, G. J., & Graham, N. A. (2019). Coral reef ecosystem services in the Anthropocene. Functional Ecology, 27(5), 1023-1034.