Need an research paper on natural versus artificial coral reefs. Needs to be 6 pages. Please no plagiarism. Besides biological significance, they are also remarkable formations from a geological point of view. Plants and animals that get calcified on the reef are a source of vast amounts of CaCO3. Estimates reveal that 400-2000 tons of CaCO3 are produced per hectare of the part of the reef that remains exposed on the seafloor.

Corals reefs are exclusively a feature of the tropical and subtropical oceans located usually on the eastern coasts of the continents within 20 to 30◦ north and south of the equator. They are found in the tropical waters of Indo pacific areas including South East Asian seas along with Polynesia and Australia. and in the East, they are found in the Indian Ocean along with Africa. The Great Barrier Reef of Australia runs almost 1200 km into the shore of the Australian continent (Stanley, 2001).

Tropical coral reefs have the scenic beauty of a tropical rainforest. They are characterized by clear waters, with vast numbers of living organisms clearly visible under the water. Like the rain forest, this ecosystem also provides a set of conditions that enables the formulation of a three-dimensional framework in which many diverse habitats with a unique set of characters are formed where a variety of species are able to thrive. Like the rainforests, they too have a biological origin. Further because of their massive size they are not only considered biological but are also considered to be of geological significance (Coral Reefs).

Corals reefs are formed by corals that are anthozoans, belonging to phylum Cnidaria. The framework builders are primarily scleractinians or stone corals. However, fire corals, blue and organ pipe corals also contribute to the reef framework, though they are not stony corals. Corals are colonial organisms, each colony comprising of up to thousands of polyps or individuals. The scleractinians, exhibit a symbiotic association with zooxanthellae.