Shark Diving
Why Sharks Are Important To The Ecosystem
What Is Biodiversity?
In essence, biodiversity refers to the variety of species that make up an environment; the greater the variety of species, the more biodiverse the ecosystem. Ecosystems depend on biodiversity because a healthy ecosystem is more adaptable to change and has a higher level of biodiversity.
Changes in that environment will affect some species but not all of them if there are more species present with a variety of varied tolerances to temperature, light, salinity, disease resistance, and other factors.
A new disease or a change in climate could bring down an ecosystem with minimal biodiversity, such as just one or two species. If there are numerous species in a system, it is likely that just some of the species will be impacted by a temperature change or a new disease.
The Role Of Sharks
Sharks are excellent at fostering biodiversity, and as we recently found, a rich biodiversity is crucial to the health of ecosystems.
By preying on the most prevalent species, sharks maintain the equilibrium of food webs and promote biodiversity by giving other species a chance to proliferate.
Sharks are a crucial component of a healthy biodiversity, which is necessary for the development of good ecosystems.
Sadly, we are also witnessing a fall in shark populations worldwide just as scientists are starting to fully comprehend the significance of sharks to biodiversity and ocean ecosystems.
Shark populations have been declining for 50 years as a result of industrial and commercial fishing. As a result of this decline, 167 shark species are threatened.
Caribbean Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus perezi)
This robust shark is common in the Caribbean, and because to its common appearance, it is frequently mistaken for other requiem sharks. These are the top predators in their food web, typically reaching to a length of 6.5 to 10 feet.
They have been discovered ‘sleeping’ in caves and on the ocean floor, a habit that is yet mysterious. Because of the accumulation of poisons in their meat, there have been concerns about eating these sharks, but now they are prized more for tourism than for food, which raises new security concerns.
Habitat & Features
The outside borders of coral reefs are frequently where you’ll find Caribbean reef sharks, and they may also be spotted lying still on the ocean floor.
An inter-dorsal ridge runs from the back of the first dorsal fin to the front of the second dorsal fin on the Caribbean reef shark. The free rear tip of the second dorsal fin is quite short. The Carcharhinus perezi nose is relatively short and rounded in shape.
It has very wide round eyes and low, poorly formed anterior nasal flaps. The third-gill slit of Caribbean reef sharks is located above the start of the pectoral fin, and they too have somewhat lengthy gill slits.
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