Biodiversity of the reef
A simple way to look at an ecosystem’s biodiversity is to look at the number and variety of different species that it supports—known as species diversity. Other measures of biodiversity include genetic diversity (the variety of a specific organism’s genes), and ecosystem diversity (the number of different ecosystems found within a particular area).
Using species diversity, it is certainly justified to describe the Great Barrier Reef as one of the most diverse habitats on the planet. Close to 9,000 species of marine life call it home, and this doesn’t include any of the huge number of microbes, plankton and fungi that also live there. And although the modern reef system is only around 6,000 to 9,000 years old, many of the creatures that call it home have existed for millions of years.
More than the coral
Model 47A – Loggerhead Sea Turtle by DigitalLife3D on Sketchfab