Editing Great Barrier Reef (section)

==Ecology==
{{main|Threatened species known to occur in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area}}
[[File:Coral Outcrop Flynn Reef.jpg|thumb|A variety of colourful corals on Flynn Reef near Cairns]]
[[File:Moore Reef underwater ReefScape.jpg|thumb|Moore Reef]]
The Great Barrier Reef supports an extraordinary diversity of life, including many [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] or [[endangered species]], some of which may be [[Endemism|endemic]] to the reef system.<ref>{{cite web |author=CSIRO |year=2006 |title=Snapshot of life deep in the Great Barrier Reef |url=http://www.csiro.au/news/ps19x.html |access-date=13 March 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830204217/http://www.csiro.au/news/ps19x.html |archive-date=30 August 2007 }}</ref><ref name="GBRMPA Fauna and Flora">{{cite web |author=Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |year=2000 |title=Fauna and Flora of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/misc_pub/fauna_flora |access-date=24 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014182747/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/misc_pub/fauna_flora |archive-date=14 October 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Turtle06.jpg|left|thumb|upright|A [[green sea turtle]] on the Great Barrier Reef]]

Thirty species of [[cetacea]]ns have been recorded in the Great Barrier Reef, including the [[dwarf minke whale]], [[Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin]], and the [[humpback whale]]. Large populations of [[dugong]]s live there.<ref name="GBRMPA Fauna and Flora"/><ref name="CRC species">{{cite web |author=CRC Reef Research Centre Ltd |title=Reef facts: Plants and Animals on the Great Barrier Reef |url=http://www.reef.crc.org.au/discover/plantsanimals/facts_plantanimal.htm |access-date=14 July 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821194423/http://www.reef.crc.org.au/discover/plantsanimals/facts_plantanimal.htm |archive-date=21 August 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/marine_mammals |year=2004 |title=Environmental Status: Marine Mammals |work=The State of the Great Barrier Reef Report – latest updates |access-date=13 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002041651/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/marine_mammals |archive-date=2 October 2006 }}</ref> More than 1,500 [[List of fishes of the Coral Sea|fish species]] live on the reef, including the [[clownfish]], [[Two-spot red snapper|red bass]]<!-- Lutjanus bohar, see [[Lutjanidae]]. -->, red-throat emperor<!-- Lethrinus miniatus, see [[Lethrinops lethrinus]]. -->, and several species of [[Lutjanidae|snapper]] and [[coral trout]].<ref name="CRC species"/> Forty-nine species [[Reproductive synchrony|mass spawn]], while eighty-four other species spawn elsewhere in their range.<ref>{{cite web |author=Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/key_issues/fisheries/spawning_sites |title=Fish Spawning Aggregation Sites on the Great Barrier Reef |access-date=14 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216133142/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/key_issues/fisheries/spawning_sites |archive-date=16 December 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Seventeen species of [[sea snake]] live on the Great Barrier Reef in warm waters up to {{convert|50|m|ft}} deep and are more common in the southern than in the northern section. None found in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area are endemic, nor are any endangered.<ref name="Flora and Fauna 2">{{cite web |url=http://www.gbotav.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/misc_pub/fauna_flora/appendix_02.html |year=2000 |title=Appendix 2 – Listed Marine Species |work=Fauna and Flora of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area |access-date=23 May 2007}}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Six species of [[sea turtle]]s come to the reef to breed: the [[green sea turtle]], [[leatherback sea turtle]], [[hawksbill turtle]], [[loggerhead sea turtle]], [[flatback turtle]], and the [[olive ridley]]. The green sea turtles on the Great Barrier Reef have two [[Population genetics|genetically distinct populations]], one in the northern part of the reef and the other in the southern part.<ref name="rap turtle dugong">{{cite book |last=Dobbs |first=Kirstin |title=Marine turtle and dugong habitats in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park used to implement biophysical operational principles for the Representative Areas Program |publisher=Great Barrier Marine Park Authority |year=2007 |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/18799/rap_turtle_and_dugong_bop.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718154323/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/18799/rap_turtle_and_dugong_bop.pdf |archive-date=18 July 2011 }}</ref> Fifteen species of [[seagrass]] in beds attract the dugongs and turtles,<ref name="CRC species"/> and provide fish habitat.<ref name="HopleySmithers2007"/>{{rp|133}} The most common [[genus|genera]] of seagrasses are ''[[Halophila]]'' and ''[[Halodule]]''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/seagrasses |year=2005 |title=Environmental Status: Seagrasses |work=The State of the Great Barrier Reef Report – latest updates |access-date=23 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002041543/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/seagrasses |archive-date=2 October 2006 }}</ref>

[[Saltwater crocodile]]s live in [[mangrove]] and [[salt marsh]]es on the coast near the reef.<ref>{{cite web |author=Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |year=2005 |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/marine_reptiles |title=Environmental Status: Marine Reptiles |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602160514/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/marine_reptiles |archive-date=2 June 2011 }}</ref> Nesting has not been reported, and the salt water crocodile population in the GBRWHA is wide-ranging but low density.<ref name="Flora and Fauna 2"/> Around 125 species of [[shark]], [[stingray]], [[Skate (fish)|skates]] or [[chimaera]] live on the reef.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/sharks_rays |title=Environmental Status: Sharks and rays |work=The State of the Great Barrier Reef Report – latest updates |access-date=23 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070329002717/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/sharks_rays |archive-date=29 March 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Flora and Fauna 4">{{cite web |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/misc_pub/fauna_flora/appendix_04.html |title=Appendix 4 – Other species of conservation concern |year=2000 |work=Fauna and Flora of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area |access-date=13 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831155453/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/misc_pub/fauna_flora/appendix_04.html |archive-date=31 August 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Close to 5,000 species of [[mollusc]]<!--The spelling "mollusc" is Australian English.--> have been recorded on the reef, including the [[giant clam]] and various [[nudibranch]]s and [[cone snail]]s.<ref name="CRC species"/> Forty-nine species of [[pipefish]] and nine species of [[seahorse]] have been recorded.<ref name="Flora and Fauna 2"/> At least seven species of frog inhabit the islands.<ref name="Flora and Fauna 5">{{cite web |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/misc_pub/fauna_flora/appendix_05.html |title=Appendix 5 – Island Flora and Fauna |year=2000 |work=Fauna and Flora of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area |access-date=13 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831160817/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/misc_pub/fauna_flora/appendix_05.html |archive-date=31 August 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

215 species of birds (including 22 species of seabirds and 32 species of shorebirds) visit the reef or nest or roost on the islands,<ref name="HopleySmithers2007"/>{{rp|450–451}} including the [[white-bellied sea eagle]] and [[roseate tern]].<ref name="CRC species"/> Most nesting sites are on islands in the northern and southern regions of the Great Barrier Reef, with 1.4 to 1.7&nbsp;million birds using the sites to breed.<ref>{{cite web |author=Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/seabirds/ |title=Environmental status: birds |work=The State of the Great Barrier Reef Report – latest updates |access-date=23 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928021231/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/seabirds/ |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/seabirds/condition |title=Environmental status: birds Condition |work=The State of the Great Barrier Reef Report – latest updates |access-date=23 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928021256/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/latest_updates/seabirds/condition |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref> The islands of the Great Barrier Reef also support 2,195 known plant species; three of these are endemic. The northern islands have 300–350 plant species which tend to be woody, whereas the southern islands have 200 which tend to be herbaceous; the Whitsunday region is the most diverse, supporting 1,141 species. The plants are propagated by birds.<ref name="Flora and Fauna 5"/>
[[File:Acanthurus lineatus Flynn Reef.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Acanthurus lineatus|striped surgeonfish]] amongst the coral on Flynn Reef]]

There are at least 330 species of [[ascidian]]s on the reef system with the diameter of {{cvt|1|-|10|cm|in|sigfig=1}}. Between 300 and 500 species of [[bryozoan]]s live on the reef.<ref name="Flora and Fauna 4"/> Four hundred coral species, both [[hard coral]]s and [[soft coral]]s inhabit the reef.<ref name="CRC species"/> The majority of these spawn [[gamete]]s, breeding in mass spawning events that are triggered by the rising sea temperatures of spring and summer, the lunar cycle, and the diurnal cycle. Reefs in the inner Great Barrier Reef spawn during the week after the full moon in October, while the outer reefs spawn in November and December.<ref>{{cite web |author=Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority |year=2006 |url=http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/8879/Fact_Sheet_20_Coral_Spawning.pdf |title=Information Fact Sheets No.20 Coral Spawning |access-date=27 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614223743/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/8879/Fact_Sheet_20_Coral_Spawning.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2007 }}</ref> Its common soft corals belong to 36 genera.<ref>{{cite web |author=Australian Institute of Marine Science |year=2002 |url=http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/soft-corals/soft-corals00.html |title=Soft coral atlas of the Great Barrier Reef |access-date=27 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070406051711/http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/soft-corals/soft-corals00.html |archive-date=6 April 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Five hundred species of marine algae or [[seaweed]] live on the reef,<ref name="CRC species"/> including thirteen species of genus ''[[Halimeda]]'', which deposit [[calcareous]] mounds up to {{convert|100|m|yd}} wide, creating mini-ecosystems on their surface which have been compared to [[rainforest]] cover.<ref name="HopleySmithers2007"/>{{rp|185}}