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Complex Habitat & Resources

Complex Habitat & Resources

Complex habitat and resources reflects the complex architecture of sessile, plant-like organisms, such as octocoral and sponges, which provides shelter and protection for small fish and other invertebrates from predators. Nursery habitat, in particular, is essential for juvenile fish and invertebrates.

CMap

Anemones & zooanthids are cnidarians very similar to coral, but are not characteristic reef builders. Complex habitat and resources reflects the complex architecture of sessile, plant-like organisms, such as octocoral and sponges, which provides shelter and protection for small fish and other invertebrates from predators. Contact Uses, such as biological additions, physical damage, and biological harvesting, are activities in which humans create pressures through direct contact with the ecosystem. Coral is a colonial marine animal consisting of polyps. Cultural services are the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, recreational opportunities, aesthetic experiences, sense of place, and educational and research opportunities. Culture sectors contribute to the social, emotional, and intellectual well-being of the community. Discharges are the intentional or unintentional distribution of chemicals, debris, or other pollution, into the environment as a consequence of human activities. Ecosystem monitoring and restoration refers to responses to directly alter the condition of the reef ecosystem through restoration or remediation activities, setting limits on degradation through biological criteria or water quality criteria, or improving knowledge through monitoring, mapping, and scientific research. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems . Existence value is the economic value or meaning humans place in a particular area, resource or organism simply for existing, separate from any derived use value. Finfish and shellfish stock are fish (e.g., groupers and snappers) and invertebrates (e.g., lobster, crab, conch, octopus, squid, and bivalves) that are harvested for human consumption as seafood. Fish are cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates that breathe through gills and usually have scales. The Fishing Sector includes the harvesting of fish for food and recreation. The Food and Raw Materials sector includes groups that harvest natural resources from the earth, including agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, forestry, mining, and the oil and gas industry. An Invertebrate is any animal that lacks a backbone. Landscape Changes are alterations of the natural landscape through human activities, including coastal development, shoreline armoring, impervious surfaces, deforestation, or soil disturbance, which can alter water flow patterns and lead to pollutant runoff into coastal systems. Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics � mainly between latitudes 25� N and 25� S. Marine products are non-food goods derived from reefs that promote human well-being (e.g, aquarium fish or ornamental resources) and human health (e.g., pharmaceuticals and cosmetics). Marine vertebrates are aquatic animals with a backbone, such as sea turtles, whales, dolphins and marine birds. Octocorals are thick and fleshy, colonial marine animals resembling stony corals in polyp size, but lacking calcium carbonite skeletons. The Reef Ecosystem includes a suite of abiotic variables that form the physical and chemical environment. Pressures are human activities that create stress on the environment. Provisioning services are the products or ecosystem goods obtained from ecosystems, including seafood, genetic and biochemical resources, pharmaceuticals, ornamental resources, and water resources. Aesthetic & recreational value pertains to the value derived from the visual beauty and recreational opportunities provided by a natural ecosystem, including an assemblage of diverse, healthy, colorful, or unique species. The state of the Reef Ecosystem is the condition, in terms of quantity and quality, of the abiotic and biotic components including physical, chemical, and biological variables. Reef Habitat is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the benthic components of the reef ecosystem. Reef Inhabitants are all of the motile components of the reef ecosystem, including fish, invertebrates, marine reptiles and mammals, and are quantified by their abundance, distribution, and condition. Reef Life is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the biological components of the coral reef ecosystem. Responses are actions taken by groups or individuals in society and government to prevent, compensate, ameliorate or adapt to changes in Ecosystem Services or their perceived value. Seagrasses are flowering plants that grow in marine, fully-saline environments. Socio-Economic Drivers include the sectors that fulfill human needs for Food & Raw Materials, Water, Shelter, Health, Culture, and Security, and the Infrastructure that supports the sectors. Sponges are sessile colonial animals with soft porous bodies supported by a fibrous skeletal framework. Scleractinian, or stony corals, are marine animals with hard skeletons composed of calcium carbonate. Supporting services are ecological processes that indirectly benefit humans by maintaining a functional ecosystem for the production of other ecosystem goods and services. Tourism & Recreation sectors operate facilities and provide services for the varied cultural, entertainment, and recreational interests of residents and tourists. Tunicates, or Valuation is the process of estimating the worth, merit, or desirability of benefits derived from ecosystems. A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally.

CMap Description

Reef habitat formed in particular by coral and sponges provides complex habitat and resources for fish and invertebrates. Nearby wetlands, including mangroves and seagrasses, provide essential nursery habitat for many species of reef fish and invertebrates. Fish and invertebrates that congregate in reef habitat ultimately benefit humans through the provision of goods, such as seafood, recreational opportunities, and biodiversity that contribute to the cultural identity of coastal communities. Many of the sectors that indirectly benefit from reef habitat, including commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, and recreation, also create pressures on the reef, particularly through harvesting and physical damage. Valuation methods and scientific monitoring and research can be used to quantify the contribution of reef habitat to more direct benefits, such as quantity of finfish and shellfish stock.

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