The model displays one planar square meter (m2) of coral reef at Playa Jeremy on the Southwestern shore of the island of Curaçao (Dutch Antilles) in the Southern Caribbean, at 11 - 13 meters depth. We measured 9 m2 of substrate using this reconstruction, of which 2/3 are cryptic (i.e. receiving less than 17% of the available sunlight). The upper part of this section harbors a cave system too cryptic to be properly photographed and modeled. Hand measured geometrical approximations, rescaled to account for surface rugosity, suggest an additional 8 m2 of substrate inside this system, similarly covered by the colorful variety of filter feeders visible on the lower parts of this model. On average, these cryptic and largely unexplored communities account for 50% of the framework and biota of Curaçao’s Southern coral reefs, hidden from our sight while performing vital contributions to the stability and functioning of the reef system as a whole.
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