The
reefs provide a link between benthic and pelagic environments,
play an important role in carbon and nitrogen processing (Chu and
Leys, 2010), and act as a silica sink (Whitney et al., 2005; Chu et al.,
2011; Treguer and De La Rocha, 2013). While a full understanding of
the ecological role of the reefs is yet to be realized, diverse communities
of invertebrates and fish, including those of economic
importance, were documented in association with the reefs