Marine plants in a coral reef ecosystem

Based on a review of the literature and our own data, marine plants are shown to play an important role in the formation and sustaining of coral reefs, which are one of coastal tropical ecosystems of the World Ocean. The important ecosystem roles of marine plants include primary production and recycling of organic matter, the construction of the hard base of a coral reef, the fixation of dissolved molecular nitrogen in sea-water, the formation of an initial link in the food chain, the provision of a habitat for marine animals, and the protection of the reef against destructive wave action.