Lighthouse Reef, Belize
Belize is a tiny Central American endowed with an inordinately large number of attractions for all nature lovers. It homes beautiful tropical rainforests, the most exuberant and diverse of all terrestrial ecosystems, of which an astounding 80% are still intact. It also has an extensive barrier reef system, second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Coral reefs are often considered the aquatic equivalent to rainforests, as they have a similar productivity, and are as diverse and exuberant in a very different way.
Primary Productivity is a function of the amount of organic matter created during photosynthesis by plants, the autotrophs or basis of the entire web of life. Both reefs and rainforests are unbelievably productive, which is amazing considering the autotrophs in question are at two opposite ends of the spectrum: the reef system analogs to the giant rainforest trees are none other than unicellular microalgae that are tightly packed within the living tissue of coral polyps! Both rainforest and reefs are found in nutrient depleted areas, and manage such a very high productivity only by a very tight cycling of available nutrients.
Both ecosystems are hosts to unrivalled biodiversity and complex ecosystems, where evolution has forced creatures to seek out ever more complex niches and symbiotic relationships in order to effectively compete for available resources. Exploring these areas is an experience that inspires wonder at the apparent creativity and ingenuity of natural selection: absolutely no ecological niche is left unexploited!
Today was spent exploring an area so special it was worth braving a couple of hours of strong seas to reach. We left the shelter afforded to the coast of Belize by the long barrier reef to reach one of the remote atolls. Belize has three of only four atolls found in the Caribbean, and we visited the outermost one, Lighthouse Reef, situated at 80km west of Belize City.
This atoll contains Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, which is home to myriad red-footed boobies and courting frigate birds, the guano of which fertilizes the little caye and allows the growth of dense vegetation. Our snorkelers donned their gear to explore the corals and fish of the reef flat, whilst SCUBA divers dropped off the edge of the atoll into the deep blue sea. It appeared we were flying through an otherworldly garden of strange plants, which were actually none other than exotic looking corals and sponges, like the green tube sponge in the photo. This area was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996, and proved to be a truly unforgettable experience.
Belize is a tiny Central American endowed with an inordinately large number of attractions for all nature lovers. It homes beautiful tropical rainforests, the most exuberant and diverse of all terrestrial ecosystems, of which an astounding 80% are still intact. It also has an extensive barrier reef system, second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Coral reefs are often considered the aquatic equivalent to rainforests, as they have a similar productivity, and are as diverse and exuberant in a very different way.
Primary Productivity is a function of the amount of organic matter created during photosynthesis by plants, the autotrophs or basis of the entire web of life. Both reefs and rainforests are unbelievably productive, which is amazing considering the autotrophs in question are at two opposite ends of the spectrum: the reef system analogs to the giant rainforest trees are none other than unicellular microalgae that are tightly packed within the living tissue of coral polyps! Both rainforest and reefs are found in nutrient depleted areas, and manage such a very high productivity only by a very tight cycling of available nutrients.
Both ecosystems are hosts to unrivalled biodiversity and complex ecosystems, where evolution has forced creatures to seek out ever more complex niches and symbiotic relationships in order to effectively compete for available resources. Exploring these areas is an experience that inspires wonder at the apparent creativity and ingenuity of natural selection: absolutely no ecological niche is left unexploited!
Today was spent exploring an area so special it was worth braving a couple of hours of strong seas to reach. We left the shelter afforded to the coast of Belize by the long barrier reef to reach one of the remote atolls. Belize has three of only four atolls found in the Caribbean, and we visited the outermost one, Lighthouse Reef, situated at 80km west of Belize City.
This atoll contains Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, which is home to myriad red-footed boobies and courting frigate birds, the guano of which fertilizes the little caye and allows the growth of dense vegetation. Our snorkelers donned their gear to explore the corals and fish of the reef flat, whilst SCUBA divers dropped off the edge of the atoll into the deep blue sea. It appeared we were flying through an otherworldly garden of strange plants, which were actually none other than exotic looking corals and sponges, like the green tube sponge in the photo. This area was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996, and proved to be a truly unforgettable experience.
