Carnivorous in nature, coral polyps grow a hard exoskeleton similar to a shell that is made from calcium carbonite. Different species of coral are distinguished by the color and shape of these calcium carbonite deposits called corallites, including elkhorn, large star, finger, brain and plate coral.
Coral polyps subsist on organic material which the tides bring in during the night. Using stinging tentacles, the polyps feed on microscopic organisms that drift their way. During the day, the coral polyps retreat inside their hard calcium carbonite shells.
Barrier reefs serve as a shelter and spawning ground for thousands of species of marine life. Sea turtles and fish are drawn to the reefs. One creature that works in symbiosis with the coral is blue algae.
The plant-like algae use photosynthesis to grow, creating oxygen as a byproduct that nourishes the coral polyps. Simultaneously, the coral polyps breathe out carbon dioxide which is used by the blue algae. The Belize Barrier Reef is home to hundreds of species of fish, octopus, lobster, sea turtles, shellfish and a myriad of other forms of marine life. The spectacular beauty and staggering bio-diverse complexity of the Belize Barrier Reef make it a natural wonder of the world, something no visitor to Belize should miss!
Coral reefs are amazingly complicated ecosystems whose beauty and wonder draw tourists from all over the world. At various places on the shelf are patch reefs and occasional faros , rhomboidal atoll-like reefs. Between the barrier reef and Glover's Reef, and between Lighthouse and Glover's Reefs, depths range from m to m.
Between the mainland and the barrier reef the very long lagoon increases in width and depth from north to south. In the north, the lagoon is km wide, with a flat, featureless bottom averaging m deep to a maximum of 6m. Bottom sediments are land-derived muds dominated by foraminiferal tests. South of Belize City, the shelf gradually widens to 40 km and deepens, in a channel between the mainland and the outer platform, reaching a depth of 65m in the Gulf of Honduras.
Numerous patch reefs are found throughout the coastal lagoon. Offshore water currents are dominated by the south-westerly Caribbean current.
Salinity patterns on the north and south shelves differ during the rainy season. In the north, the shallow water is well mixed and there is no surface fresh water lens. In the deeper southern lagoon, a fresh water lens spreads out from the Punta Gorda area where the influence of coastal river discharge is greatest. Offshore salinities are typically oceanic 35 ppt. The tidal range averages 0.
The Belize coast lies in the subtropics, characterised by higher extreme and mean temperatures than in more tropical latitudes. Strong winter storms blow from October to February, often as 'northers' which bring strong winds, cool temperatures, heavy rains and rough seas. Until May, winds tend to be strong and fairly constant, averaging kph. In the summer there are occasional strong squalls with winds up to 48kph. The hurricane season is between August and October.
Hurricanes Dean in in the north, Wilma in and Iris in in the south caused much damage especially on the mainland Dotherow et al. Stoddart et al. Many of the South Water cayes are mangrove dominated although some have sand with shrub and coconut vegetation. Half Moon Caye has a well developed forest with species of 40 trees.
There are three major types of mangrove forest: a buttonwood-red mangrove-white mangrove association, Conocarpus erectus-Rhizophora mangle - Laguncularia racemosa on land periodically inundated with sea water; permanently inundated R. Mangroves may form a narrow coastal fringe, a concentric ring around small mainland lagoons, or colonize the lagoon side of offshore cays as in South Water Caye which has several mangrove cays Hartshorn et al.
Several cayes have stands of littoral forest with scarlet cordia Cordia sebestena , teabox Myrica cerifera , gumbo limbo Bursera simaruba and coco plum Chrysobalanus icaco. These are fringed by shrubby sea grape Coccoloba uvifera , Heliotropium gnaphalodes , bay cedar Suriana maritima sea ox-eye Borrichia arborescens , also introduced coconut trees Cocos nucifera.
Other vegetation types include: herbaceous marsh and swamp seasonally inundated depressions, dominated by rushes, sedges, calabash Amphitecna breedlovei , black olive Bucida buceras and Jacquinia aurantiaca; grass savannas with scattered medium-tall m calabash and logwood Haematoxylon campechianum ; low semi-deciduous forest with a m canopy and formed by gumbo limbo, white poison wood Cameraria latifolia, logwood Haematoxylon campechianum ; and medium semi- deciduous forest with a multi-level canopy m in height.
A total of species of marine flora has been described from the barrier reef Gibson, This vegetation consists mainly of widespread seagrass beds, particularly of turtle seagrass Thalassia testudinum, shoalgrass Halodule wrightii and manatee grass Syringodium filiforme , which host many other organisms: seaweeds, crustaceans, mollusks, shoals of grass and alga-eating fish, forage for turtles and manatees and huge schools of juvenile fish.
They trap sediment and nutrients and stabilize the sea floor. The high diversity of algae include Halimeda incrassata. Sargassum species and red algae Laurencia spp. The wide Belize shelf contains an impressive assemblage of habitats: inshore, mid-shelf, shelf-edge, and offshore coral reefs, lagoons, seagrass meadows and mangrove swamps. This structural diversity supports a very complex and productive trophic chain based on abundant micro- and macroinvertebrate life, and three thriving fisheries, commercial artisanal and recreational.
Many juvenile fish, reef, estuarine and pelagic, including several sharks, depend on the sheltered seagrass beds and mangroves as nurseries, and estuarine fish like tarpon Megalops atlanticus, stonebass Ambloplites rupestris and mullet Mugil spp. The grass and lagoon of South Water Caye attract huge schools of bonefish Albula nemoptera , permit Trachinotus falcatus and snook Centropomus undecimalis. The larger secondary consumers of the deep slopes and banks such as the snappers, hogfish Lutjanus analis VU and mutton snapper Lachnolaimus maximus VU , and groupers, Nassau grouper Epinephelus striatus EN and black grouper Mycteroperca bonaci, red porgy Pagrus pagrus EN and striped grunt Haemulon striatum support the economically important commercial fishery and sport fishing.
Further out are blackfin and yellowfin tuna, Thunnus atlanticus and T. Pelagic fish include rays, nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum, Caribbean reef shark Carcharhinus perezi, bull shark Carcharhinus leucas, whale shark Rhincodon typus VU and great and scallopped hammerhead sharks Sphyrna lewinii EN and Sphyrna mokarran EN.
Nearer inshore fire coras Millepora complanata occur. The rare endemic Belize atoll gecko Phyllodactylus insularis occurs on Lighthouse Reef. Besides the manatee VU , there are bottlenosed dolphins Tursiops truncatus and three other dolphin species.
Three species of sea turtles nest on the islands and a few mainland sites: hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata CR , loggerhead Caretta caretta EN , and green Chelonia mydas EN. They are routinely seen between the coast and the reef, and on offshore cays and atolls.
Leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea CR also occurs. Cays with littoral forest and mangroves are important habitat for species endemic to the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as migrant staging areas. Other notable breeding birds are brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis and magnificent frigate bird Fregata magnificens. Laughing gull Larus artricilla used to breed on Laughing Bird Caye but visitors have driven it to other islands. The Belize shelf and its reef is part of the largest fringing barrier reef in the northern hemisphere and the best-developed example of the type in the western Atlantic.
It is an ecosystem of great biological diversity and beauty, of great scientific value and a major habitat for threatened species. Shell middens at Mayan sites along the coast and on many of the cays show that the reefs were used for fishing for conch, finfish, turtle eggs and manatees some 2, years ago. Evidence of pre-historic effects of fishing on marine ecosystems in the Caribbean have been documented.
Between B. There are at least seven Mayan sites in the Bacalar Chico area, some of which, such as San Juan on the west coast, are of particular cultural and historical value. The Bacalar Chico channel was dug by Mayan traders between and A. With the decline of the Maya civilisation, these resources were probably little used for centuries. However, early Spanish explorers used the area to repair their boats and collect freshwater and by the early 17th century, the coastal waters of Belize had become a refuge for pirates and buccaneers, largely from Britain, who looted Spanish and British trading ships.
Subsequently, with Puritan traders from the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua, they settled in the cayes, becoming fishermen and plantation owners. British occupancy between and left Belize the one English-speaking central American country. The name may derive from the Mayan beliz named from the muddy water of the Belize river.
Since the 18th century, there have been several waves of immigration to the coast and seven languages are still spoken by their descendants. Fishing records kept by coastal communities since the early s show that commercial fishing began to develop in the mid 19th century Price, Since early in the 20th century the economic importance of the reef increased with the growth of the coastal population. Initially, a wide range of species was harvested, from turtles, sharks, finfish and crabs to sponges and seaweeds.
But between and , the industry changed from a small scale domestic fishery, with periodic incursions into the Mexican market, to wholesale commercial marketing by foreign purchasing and marketing companies of spiny lobster, conch and fin-fish products to the lucrative U.
This fishery then devolved during the s and s to the local cooperatives which now dominate the export market. There were in according to Spalding et al. There is a domestic fishery for shallow reef fish and a commercial fishery for deep slope and bank fish. Ambergris Caye, in sight of the reef, offers a wide range of activities and accommodations — including Chaa Creek partner resorts and Unique Hotels of Belize colleague Victoria House.
Huge whale sharks, the largest fish the world has ever known, congregate at Gladden Spit every year in a spectacular annual migration — making this one of the few places on the planet where people can dive with these gentle giants. These challenges are making careful monitoring and management increasingly more important. Fortunately, global marine conservation organisations are working with local environmentalists, and their combined public awareness campaigns, lobbying and other efforts are showing results.
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