Numerous species of coral are found in worldwide. Each kind lives in a separate colony that is shaped differently from the others. The colonies take on the various hues of the algae that live within them – usually red, green, and brown.

Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth. They are second only to tropical rain forests in the number of species they harbor and, indeed, are sometimes called “the rain forests of the sea.” Like their terrestrial counterparts, coral communities may contain valuable materials and medicines that may one day be useful to people. Coral reefs are home to many of the state’s most important fisheries resources, including spiny lobsters and groupers. Reefs also buffer coastal land from the damaging effects of storms and erosion and help to form the sandy beaches and quiet lagoons that are signatures of the state’s tourism industry.

Coral reefs today face an unintentional, but growing, threat from the very people who prize them most. Boaters frequently run aground or drop anchor on the coral heads, divers and snorkelers step on and bruise them, and pollution threatens to sully the clear waters that are vital to their survival.

Nearshore hardbottom habitat are the primary natural reef structures at depth of less than 15 feet and is primarily made up of tube-building polychaete worms or coquina shells. Hardbottom reefs are often centrally located between mid-shelf reefs and barrier island estuarine habitats. The reefs provides habitat to more than 530 marine organisms, including juvenile snappers, grunts, groupers, wrasses, and sea turtles. These reefs help stabilize nearby beaches. Nearshore reefs reduce wave and current energy and protect against coastal erosion.

Unfortunately, beach renourishment projects, which involve dredging sand from offshore and pumping it onto the beach, impact nearshore habitats, as well as the green turtles that find food and shelter there. In particular, the artificially wide, man-made beaches bury large sections of nearshore reef and hardbottom habitats used by sea turtles and many other forms of marine life. The projects can also increase turbidity in the water, which affects the reef algae – a food source for juvenile green turtles.

Barrier islands are naturally formed by shifting sands that build upon an existing sandbar to eventually form an island. The sand that has accumulated above the water surface becomes the home for the drifting seeds of beach plants. As the seeds grow and develop, their roots stabilize the soil, allowing the development of coastal strand and maritime hammock communities.
Barrier islands support a variety of plant and animal species that are either rare, threatened or endangered.

Barrier islands are greatly affected by the forces of wind and waves and are constantly moving towards or away from the mainland. Because barrier islands provide mainland protection from hurricanes and large storms by absorbing the impact of waves and storm water over flow, entire barrier islands can be severely reshaped or completely destroyed by a major storm.

A beach and dune ecosystem is a dynamic coastal habitat characterized by constantly shifting sands shaped by marine and terrestrial processes. Beaches and dune tend to be nutrient poor habitats where only specialized plants and animals can thrive. It’s home to many species of plants and animals, including shorebirds, sea turtles, invertebrates, and unique vegetation. Dune vegetation includes sea oats (a perennial grass that builds up dunes by trapping sand with its stems) and dune grasses (plants that can tolerate windy, salty conditions with little water). The beach and dune ecosystem is highly sensitive to changes in wave action, wind patterns, and sea level rise.