 |
Home > Environment
> Bioerosion
Threats to the Marine Environment
Bioerosion
Dead Porites coral with bore-holes, Kewalo
|
Sea Urchin bore-holes, Makapu'u, Oahu |
Midway Lagoon with Pencil Urchins
|
Parrotfish bite marks, Honaunau, Hawaii |
Parrotfish bite marks, Honaunau, Hawaii
|
|
Sea Urchin erosion, Honaunau, Hawaii |
|
|
|
| Natural breakdown of reefs takes place continuously. Parrotfishes
bite off chunks of coralline material while some large filefishes
remove the tips of Cauliflower
coral. Boring sea
urchins, sponges, and mollusks
erode reefs from the inside-out. This process is easily observed
in Midway Lagoon where
the ancient reef limestone is riddled with urchin holes, causing
sections to break apart during high surf. |
|
