These four photos illustrate a few of the many typical scenes of a coral reef ecosystem. The photo on the upper left shows many different species of coral and the outstanding visibility encountered at some of our sampling sites. The large coral in the middle of the photo is a table coral. The photo on the upper right shows both living and dead stands of staghorn coral. The many tiny specks in the water column above the reef are plankton-feeding basslets which dart down into coral shelters when predatory fishes approach. The photo on the lower left shows some orangefin anemonefish living in the anemone that is their home. The photo on the lower right shows some blue-lined snappers swimming by some staghorn coral.