Red Sea Coral Reef Food Web
Coral Reef
Red Sea — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea
Description
Red Sea coral reefs are among the most thermally tolerant in the world, with corals adapted to temperatures that would bleach reefs elsewhere. High salinity and low nutrient conditions favor specialized communities. The northern Red Sea may serve as a climate refuge for corals as ocean temperatures rise globally.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Marine bacteria
Boring sponges
Sea cucumbers
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Grey reef shark
Napoleon wrasse
Bottlenose dolphin
3 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Moray eel
Lionfish
Bluespotted ribbontail ray
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Bicolor parrotfish
Long-spined urchin
Tridacna clam
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Fire coral
Stylophora pistillata
Turf algae
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Heat-tolerant coral species may reseed degraded reefs under climate change
- Parrotfish bioerosion converts coral skeleton to sand, building reef islands
- Lionfish invasions in connected Mediterranean threaten native fish diversity
- Napoleon wrasse control crown-of-thorns starfish predation on corals