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Coral reefs are shallow marine structures formed by the amalgamation of the tiny coral animal and algae. Perhaps the oldest ecosystem on earth, coral reefs began evolving 500 million years ago, and by 50 million years ago they looked essentially the way they do now. Most present-day reefs have probably been growing for 5,000 to10,000 years. But their continued survival is now threatened. Reefs around the world are now declining at an unprecedented rate--one that far outstrips our understanding of the problem.
Few long-term studies of coral reefs have been conducted, and there is considerable debate about the overall health of reef ecosystems. Still, most scientists agree that reefs worldwide are in crisis. "As far as I'm concerned the question has been answered," declares Phil Dustan, a principal investigator of the Environmental Protection Agency's Coral Reef Monitoring Project. "Corals are dying."
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