Biology and ecology of plants, animals and habitats

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park contains the largest coral reef ecosystem on the planet and is one of the most biologically diverse marine ecosystems in the world.

Biological diversity (also referred to as 'biodiversity') is a term used to describe the abundance of all plants and animals, together with the places they live and the natural processes that keep them alive. We rely on biodiversity for a wide range of social, economic and cultural benefits.

While some organisms in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park have been extensively studied, the high biodiversity of organisms in the Marine Park means that there are thousands of other species that are poorly understood. For example, although coral reefs are the most studied habitats in the Marine Park, over 90 per cent of the Park is actually non-reefal habitat (i.e. shoals, deep reef habitats) that has received little scientific attention. Many organisms collected from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park for Museum collections have yet to be properly identified and named.

Whale Shark in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Further information on the diverse fauna and flora of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

• Reef creatures and plants on Reef Ed's GBR Explorer; a multimedia education tool developed by the GBRMPA for educators and students.
• State of the Great Barrier Reef Report provides information about a range of animals, plants and habitats occurring in the Marine Park.
• Protected species such as turtles and dugongs.
• CRC Reef Research Centre's Discover the Reef provides detailed information about coral reefs and the wildlife that lives in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
• Reefbase, the official database of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) and the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), allows easy access to data, information, publications, photos, and maps related to coral reefs resources in over 100 countries and territories.
• Fishbase - for all you ever wanted to know about fishes. Includes a database that caters to research scientists, fisheries managers, zoologists and others.
• The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries provides information on fishes and their habitats in Australia.
• Seagrass Watch provides information and publications about seagrasses and how to identify them.
• Extensive information about plants, animals and habitats is available from scientific journal literature. Some of the journals and articles can be accessed in full format from Google Scholar^TM whereas others require purchasing from the publisher and can be viewed only as abstracts.