{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.coral-reef","code":"thing-q11292","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q11292/","name":"coral reef","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.PLC"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and accumulation of coral skeletons, supporting an underwater ecosystem. Many shallow-water reef-building corals live in symbiosis with photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae, but cold-water corals can build reefs without this symbiosis. Shallow-water forms include fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls, whose formation Charles Darwin explained by subsidence in 1842. Covering a small fraction of the ocean floor, reefs support a large share of marine species, fisheries and coastal protection, and face threats from ocean acidification, pollution and overfishing; marine heatwaves cause mass bleaching in corals with photosynthetic symbionts, with NOAA confirming a fourth global bleaching event in 2024. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system.","purpose":"Let an agent explain coral reefs, relay biology, types, ecosystem services, threats and conservation from marine science and UNEP sources with projections attributed, include cold-water coral reefs, and distinguish reefs from individual corals, non-coral rocky reefs and artificial reefs.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Coral reefs are biogenic structures.","Many shallow-water reef-building corals have symbiotic algae, but this is not required for reef formation.","Coral reefs support high biodiversity.","Coral reefs face serious environmental threats."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a coral reef is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a coral reef, and how does it differ from individual corals, rocky reefs, cold-water coral mounds and artificial reefs?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about biology, visiting responsibly, threats or a specific reef?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"types","name":"Types","description":"Reef types.","findings":[{"id":"types-finding","name":"Types","description":"Types.","questions":[{"text":"How do fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls form?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific reef?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"biology","name":"Biology","description":"Biology.","layers":[{"id":"symbiosis","name":"Symbiosis","description":"Symbiosis.","findings":[{"id":"symbiosis-finding","name":"Symbiosis","description":"Symbiosis.","questions":[{"text":"How do corals and zooxanthellae depend on each other?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"biodiversity","name":"Biodiversity","description":"Biodiversity.","findings":[{"id":"biodiversity-finding","name":"Biodiversity","description":"Biodiversity.","questions":[{"text":"Why do reefs support so many species?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"threats","name":"Threats","description":"Threats and conservation.","layers":[{"id":"bleaching","name":"Bleaching","description":"Bleaching.","findings":[{"id":"bleaching-finding","name":"Bleaching","description":"Bleaching.","questions":[{"text":"What causes mass bleaching, and what do NOAA and reef scientists report about recent events?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits coral bleaching?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"restoration","name":"Restoration","description":"Restoration.","findings":[{"id":"restoration-finding","name":"Restoration","description":"Restoration.","questions":[{"text":"What does evidence say about reef restoration and protection, with findings attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral and attributed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"People and history.","layers":[{"id":"people","name":"People","description":"Livelihoods.","findings":[{"id":"people-finding","name":"People","description":"People.","questions":[{"text":"How do reefs support fisheries, tourism and coastal protection?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits ecosystem services?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"darwin","name":"Darwin","description":"Darwin s theory.","findings":[{"id":"darwin-finding","name":"Darwin","description":"Darwin.","questions":[{"text":"How did Darwin explain atoll formation?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits atoll?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Survey and report reef condition, bleaching and species from monitoring data.","Map reefs and report damage to the managing authority."],"mustNot":["Touch, stand on, anchor on or collect pieces of coral.","Assist in trading corals or reef species against wildlife trade rules.","Discharge sediment, nutrients or chemicals where they reach a reef.","Publish precise locations of rare reef species where collectors could use them."],"requiresHuman":["Any intervention such as restoration planting, culling or removal of organisms."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Reefs are collapsing under warming and pollution, and whole coastal communities depend on them.","Local fishing communities have rights and knowledge that management must include."],"affectedParties":["Reef ecosystems","Coastal and island communities","Fishers and divers"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody: reefs are protected by law, usually through a marine park or fisheries authority.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Marine protected area registers and reef monitoring databases"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q125744539","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q184358","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q2904042","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"reef","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"stony coral","type":"related"},{"target":"Great Barrier Reef","type":"related"},{"target":"coral bleaching","type":"related"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.coral-reef","Wikidata: Q11292 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11292)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["share of ocean floor: under 1 percent - commonly cited","share of marine species supported: about 25 percent - commonly cited estimate","Great Barrier Reef length: about 2300 km","fourth global bleaching event confirmed: 2024 year - NOAA"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["A coral reef is a rock structure built by coral growth and skeletal accumulation.","Forms include fringing reefs, barrier reefs, atolls and cold-water coral reefs.","Individual corals are animals, non-coral rocky reefs lack a coral-built framework, cold-water coral mounds can include reef structures, and artificial reefs are human-made.","Colourful structures of branching, plate and brain corals teeming with fish, or white when bleached."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain biology and types","relay ecosystem services","describe threats with attribution","distinguish related reefs"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Stale bleaching and cover data","Partisan framing of climate causes","Tourism damage such as touching or anchoring on reefs"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Marine protected areas","UNESCO World Heritage listings","International Coral Reef Initiative","Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Habitat, fisheries, coastal protection and tourism.","fringing reefs","barrier reefs","atolls","patch reefs","mesophotic reefs"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q11292: coral reef","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11292","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Coral reef","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_reef","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should reef types be separate entries?","How should monitoring data be linked and kept current?","How should restoration evidence be presented?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q11292/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q11292/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T20:55:37Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:25+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}