Abstract
IN nearly all the shallow waters of the tropical seas there is an abundant fauna, but nowhere is there such a crowd of marine animals of all kinds as there is in the region that extends from the growing edge of the coral reef to a depth of some 10 or 15 fathoms beyond it. This may be due to the fact that in this region there is plenty of light and heat, no great or sudden changes of temperature, or of the chemical composition of the water, and there is an abundant food supply brought by tidal currents from the surface of the ocean. Here it is, then, that we find the richest fauna. Here it is that the struggle for existence is most severe, and here it is that the animals are protected and concealed by the most pronounced marks and colours, and provided by Nature with various forms of armour, stings and spines to defend them in the battles with their enemies.
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Animal Life on a Coral Reef1. Nature 44, 90–91 (1891). https://doi.org/10.1038/044090a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/044090a0