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humans religion Coral Reef Connections   Reef Relationships |
Predators and Prey | Competitors | Partners | Conclusion   In
the never-ending challenge to survive and reproduce, living
things must evolve in response to their physical environment, as
well as to their fellow organisms. Under the right conditions,
these pressures cause new species to arise and local
biodiversity to increase. Such conditions have made the Great
Barrier Reef one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.
Inside this complex system, every organism interacts with
enemies, competitors, and partners. Over scores of generations,
these relationships are honed into near-perfect operations.
Predators seem perfectly adapted to catching their prey,
competitors know all the right moves to get their mate, and
partners can't live without each other.  But this near-
perfection is a mirage. The relationships are really a