Editing Maldives (section)

===Marine ecosystem===
{{further|Wildlife of Maldives}}
[[File:Maldives soft coral.jpg|thumb|Maldives soft coral]]
[[File:Maldives Oriental sweetlips, Plectorhinchus vittatus.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Oriental sweetlips]] (''Plectorhinchus vittatus'') at [[Meeru Island]], North Male Atoll]]

The Maldives have a range of different habitats including deep sea, shallow coast, and reef ecosystems, fringing mangroves, wetlands, and dry land. There are 187 species of coral forming the [[coral reefs]]. This area of the Indian Ocean, alone, houses 1,100 [[species]] of fish, 5 species of [[sea turtle]], 21 species of whale and dolphin, 400 species of mollusk, and 83 species of echinoderms. The area is also populated by several crustacean species: 120 copepods, and 15 amphipods, as well as more than 145 crab and 48 shrimp species.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fourth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity of Maldives |url=https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/mv/mv-nr-04-en.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104002542/https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/mv/mv-nr-04-en.pdf |archive-date=4 November 2015 |access-date=2 April 2013 |website=Convention on Biological Diversity |publisher=Ministry of Housing and Environment |page=7}}</ref>

Among the many marine families represented are [[pufferfish]], [[Caesionidae|fusiliers]], [[Carangidae|jackfish]], [[lionfish]], [[oriental sweetlips]], [[reef sharks]], [[grouper]]s, [[eel]]s, [[Lutjanidae|snappers]], [[bannerfish]], [[Ogcocephalidae|batfish]], [[humphead wrasse]], [[spotted eagle ray]]s, [[scorpionfish]], [[lobster]]s, [[nudibranches]], [[Pomacanthidae|angelfish]], [[butterflyfish]], [[squirrelfish]], [[soldierfish]], [[Asiatic glassfish|glassfish]], [[surgeonfish]], [[Naso (fish)|unicornfish]], [[triggerfish]], [[Napoleon wrasse]], and [[barracuda]].<ref name="scuba">{{Cite web |title=Maldives Marine Life |url=http://www.scubadivemaldives.com/category/maldives-marine-life/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111222080727/http://www.scubadivemaldives.com/category/maldives-marine-life/ |archive-date=22 December 2011 |access-date=2 April 2013 |website=Scuba Dive Maldives}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sharks of the Maldives |url=http://www.themaldives.com/diving/maldives-sharks.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110131054/http://www.themaldives.com/diving/maldives-sharks.html |archive-date=10 January 2017 |access-date=12 February 2017 |website=The Maldives}}</ref>

These coral reefs are home to a variety of marine ecosystems that vary from [[planktonic]] organisms to whale sharks. Sponges have gained importance as five species have displayed anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties.<ref name="Coral reefs">{{Cite web |title=Regional Workshop on the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coral Reefs |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5627E/X5627E00.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164420/http://www.fao.org/3/X5627E/X5627E00.htm |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=2 April 2013 |website=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]]}}</ref>

In 1998, sea-temperature warming of as much as {{convert|5|C-change}} due to a single [[El Niño-Southern Oscillation|El Niño phenomenon]] event caused [[coral bleaching]], killing two-thirds of the nation's coral reefs.<ref name="Wheatley">{{Cite web |last=Wheatley |first=Alan |date=2 May 2004 |title=Maldives Nurses Its Coral Reefs Back to Life |url=http://www.globalcoral.org/Maldives%20Nurses%20Its%20Coral%20Reefs%20Back%20to%20Life.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921010958/http://www.globalcoral.org/Maldives%20Nurses%20Its%20Coral%20Reefs%20Back%20to%20Life.htm |archive-date=21 September 2013 |access-date=2 April 2013 |website=Global Coral Reef Alliance}}</ref>

To induce the regrowth of the reefs, scientists placed electrified cones anywhere from {{convert|20|–|60|ft}} below the surface to provide a substrate for larval coral attachment. In 2004, scientists witnessed corals regenerating. Corals began to eject pink-orange eggs and sperm. The growth of these electrified corals was five times faster than untreated corals.<ref name=Wheatley/> Scientist Azeez Hakim stated:

{{Blockquote| Before 1998, we never thought that this reef would die. We had always taken for granted that these animals would be there, that this reef would be there forever. El Niño gave us a wake-up call that these things are not going to be there forever. Not only this, but they also act as a natural barrier against tropical storms, floods, and tsunamis. Seaweeds grow on the skeletons of dead coral.|<ref name="scuba" />}}

Again, in 2016, the coral reefs of the Maldives experienced a [[Coral bleaching#Maldives|severe bleaching incident]]. Up to 95% of coral around some islands have died, and, even after six months, 100% of young coral transplants died. The surface water temperatures reached an all-time high in 2016, at 31 degrees Celsius in May.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 July 2016 |title=Coral Bleaching Updates |url=http://marinesavers.com/2016/07/coral-bleaching-updates/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164516/https://marinesavers.com/2016/07/coral-bleaching-updates/ |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=12 February 2017 |website=MarineSavers |publisher=Marine Savers and Four Seasons Resorts Maldives (2012–2017)}}</ref>

Recent scientific studies suggest that the faunistic composition can vary greatly between neighbour atolls, especially in terms of benthic fauna. Differences in terms of fishing pressure (including poaching) could be the cause.<ref name="Ducarme between">{{Cite journal |last=Ducarme |first=Frédéric |date=2016 |title=Field Observations of Sea Cucumbers in Ari Atoll, and Comparison with Two Nearby Atolls in Maldives |url=http://www.spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/InfoBull/BDM/36/BDM36_09_Ducarme.pdf |url-status=live |journal=SPC Beche-de-mer Information Bulletin |volume=36 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171010151307/http://www.spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/InfoBull/BDM/36/BDM36_09_Ducarme.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2017 |access-date=31 March 2016}}</ref>