Reef Stories
Hedgehog Skins!
Stars & Cucumbers...
Stars, Urchins & Cucumbers
Hedgehog Skins, the literal translation of Echinoderms, are the subject of the reef-stories here. The some 7000 species of Feather-Stars, Basket Stars, Starfish, Sea Urchins, Sand Dollars and Sea Cucumbers are found throughout the oceans. They are ecologically important in reefs, as predators, cleaners and as feathery hosts for entire communites of other animals as described in the feather-star party story
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Starfish
Starfish, Brittle Stars and Basket Stars all have a central disk with typically 5 arms, though some have many more. They are almost all generalist predators and a number of species are critical to the species diversity of the habitat they live in. This happens because they keep populations of quickly reproducing prey in check. Very sensitive to marine pollution, they are good bio-indicators. Pollution and over-exploitation consequently have impact on reef biodiversity.
The best known starfish on reefs is the Crown of Thorns (CoT). It is voracious feeder on corals, and when left unchecked, lays waste to large areas of reef. It has few natural predators. The Triton Trumpet Shell is the most effective predator, but its numbers have been decimated in many places by shell-collectors.
Helfen Sie, die Riffe zu retten!
Die Organisationen, die sich für den Schutz der Korallenriffe und unserer Ozeane einsetzen, brauchen so viel Unterstützung, wie sie bekommen können. Eine Auswahl:
Wenn Sie Taucher sind, und vor allem, wenn Sie Unterwasserfotograf sind, spenden Sie. Wenn Sie nichts tun, wird es nichts zum Tauchen und nichts zum Fotografieren geben.
Es handelt sich hierbei um Vorschläge, nicht um Bevorzugung der vorgeschlagenen Organisationen. Es liegt in Ihrer Verantwortung, die Wohltätigkeitsorganisationen, an die Sie spenden möchten, zu überprüfen und zu kontrollieren.
Starfish
Starfish
Starfish, Brittle Stars and Basket Stars all have a central disk with typically 5 arms, though some have many more. They are almost all generalist predators and a number of species are critical to the species diversity of the habitat they live in. This happens because they keep populations of quickly reproducing prey in check. Very sensitive to marine pollution, they are good bio-indicators. Pollution and over-exploitation consequently have impact on reef biodiversity.
The best known starfish on reefs is the Crown of Thorns (CoTs). It is voracious feeder on corals, and when left unchecked, lays waste to large areas of reef. It has few natural predators. The Triton Trumpet Shell is the most effective predator, but its numbers have been decimated in many places by shell-collectors.
