LindseyCoralReefs

﻿ CORAL REEFS





Coral Reef Fun Facts:

 * Source of food and medicine
 * Protect the coast from wave erosion
 * Usually found in shallow, warm tropical waters between latitudes 30 north and 30 south
 * ﻿To be healthy they need clean and clear water
 * Two distinct regions where they are mainly distributed: the Wider Caribbean (Atlantic Ocean) and the Indo-Pacific (from East Africa and the Red Sea to the Central Pacific Ocean)
 * Found in about 100 countries
 * Among the world's most fragile and endangered ecosystems

Organisms Living in Coral Reefs:

 * ﻿Plankton & Krill
 * Algae
 * Coral
 * Seaweed/Seagrass
 * Dwarf Minke Whales
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Small Invertebrates
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Wrasse Fish
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Gastropods (Molluse)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Crown of Thorns Starfish
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Butterfly Fish
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Green Turtle
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Dugongs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Irrawaddy Dolphins
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Humpback whales



<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What is Coral?
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Corals are tiny animals which belong to the group, cnidaria (ex. hydras, jellyfish, and sea anemones). They stay in one place and feed by reaching out with their tentacles to catch prey such as small fish and planktonic animals. Stony corals (scleractinians) make up the largest group of anthozoans and are responsible for building up reef structures.



<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">﻿Food Web:


<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The sun provides food and energy to plankton, krill, algae, coral, seaweed, and seagrass (all of which are producers and autotrophs). Plankton and krill are food to dwarf minke whales, small invertebrates, and humpback whales (all are carnivorous, consumers, and heterotrophs). Small invertebrates are food to wrasse fish. Wrasse fish are food to humpback whales and irrawaddy dolphins. Algae is food to gastropods (molluse)- a herbivore, consumer, and heterotroph. Coral is food to the crown of thorns starfish and the butterfly fish- both of which are herbivores. The butterfly fish is, also, food to humpback whales and irrawaddy dolphins. Seaweed and seagrass are food to the green turtle and dugongs (herbivores).

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Living Space:
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Corals live in colonies consisting of many individuals, called polyps. The uniform base is a hard calcium carbonate skeleton. The skeleton also provides protection when the polyps contract into the structure when predators approach.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Growth:
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Growth varies greatly, depending on the species of coral and environmental conditions. Different species build different structures of various sizes and shapes. This creates a great amount of diversity and complexity in the coral reef ecosystem.



<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Potential Threats:

 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">﻿Humans
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Increase in coastal pressures
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Pollution
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Coral bleaching
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Sedimentation
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Overfishing (cyanide fishing)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Overexploited
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Hurricanes
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Cyclones
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Disease outbreaks (in response to biotic/abiotic stresses)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Tidal emersions
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Chronic emersions
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Cold and rainy weather exposure
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Natural phenomena
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Predation (parrotfish, polychaetes, barnacles, crabs, crown of thorns starfish and gastropods)

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">﻿Abiotic Factors:
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">﻿Coral reefs grow best in a specific water temperature (23-29 degrees Celsius). Some can live in higher temperature but only for a limited amount of time. Also, they require specific levels of salinity (32 to 42 parts per thousand). Water clarity and light levels must be consistent throughout the year for corals to grow continuously. Many scientists believe that the effects of global warming, such as increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, are disrupting the delicate balance of the ocean's chemistry. Warming can cause seawater temperatures and levels to rise, making it unfit for coral survival.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">﻿Personal Reflection:
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Coral Reefs are valuable to humans in the sense that they are a tourist attraction. When people visit the Caribbean, Australia, or other tropical vacation spots they often take a snorkeling trip or scuba diving. If they become endangered enough, marine park managers would have to restrict these activities, as well as fishing. They are valuable to the overall health of the planet because they protect the coast from wave erosion and are a great source of food and medicine.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Works Cited:
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Various Authors. "Coral Reefs." Solcom House. The Ozone Hole Inc., 6 Sept. 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Web. 7 Sept. 2010. <http://www.solcomhouse.com/coralreef.htm>. This <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> webpage was created by the following contributors: NOAA, NASA, Reef Check, <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> UNEP, Re﻿ef Relief, Australian Government, University of Texas, and Great <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Various Authors. "Great Barrier Reef." Australia's Culture Portal. Australian Government , <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> 1 July 2010. Web. 9 Sept. 2010. <http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">articles/greatbarrierreef/>.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Various Authors. "Hazards to Coral Reefs." NOAA CoRIS. NOAA, 10 Aug. 2010. Web. 9 Sept. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> 2010. <http://coris.noaa.gov/about/hazards/>.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Various Authors. "Humpback Whale." Enchanted Learning. Enchanted Learning, 2010. Web. 9 <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Sept. 2010. <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Humpbackwhale.shtml>.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Various Authors. "REEF FACTS: Plants and Animals on the Great Barrier Reef." CRC Reef. CRC <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Reef Research Center Ltd, n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <http://www.reef.crc.org.au/discover/plantsanimals/facts_plantanimal.htm>.