When deploying an artificial reef, doesn it affect the animals and plants that were living there before?
Top Yes, it does, but exactly how is not known for sure. Some general effects of reef placement are known. A physical effect is that artificial reefs create an obstruction to water, causing local small-scale changes in currents (circulation of water), which can effect ocean characteristics in turn affecting the surrounding ecosystems. Another effect is that most of the life that lived underneath the reef is killed. There are also effects on the life in the area surrounding the reef. Some of the animals that inhabit reefs are known to hunt for their food off of the reef. One example is octopi which hide in the crevices of reefs for shelter, but find their food (such as crabs) both on the reef and in the sand flats. The populations of animals in the surrounding area can be effected by this predation. The area that is effected by a reef is called the “Zone of Influence”, but the size of this zone is unknown and depends on individual species of predators.
