Coral ReefsBy Lauren Little and Summer Grimmer

February 27, 2015

Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems held together by corals.

Location Estimated to cover 109,800 square miles

Corals exist in temperate and tropical waters

Tropical: don’t grow at 50 meters (160ft)

Temperature for coral reefs: 79-81 degrees F

Abiotic CharacteristicsTemp and salinity affect calcification

Zooxanthallae: give corals their pigment, exiting the host coral, or actually being consumed by the coral itself, is commonly referred to as "bleaching" due to the remaining visible white coral skeleton

Increasing CO2 in atmosphere ocean lowers PH

Corals gain some nutrition zooxanthallae, corals are heterotrophic because they capture zooplankton from the water column with their tentacles

ProducersProducers include algae, sea plants and

plankton

Primary consumers are mostly small fish, molluscs, coral polyps, clams and sponges

They are eaten by secondary consumers like eels, crabs, starfish and octopus

Some decomposers are fan worms and flat fish

Animals

Sea snakes, sea turtles, manatees, sponges

Mollusks (clams, mussels, snails, squid, cuttlefish, etc.)

Crustaceans (shrimp, lobster, crabs, etc.)

Dolphins (who visit to hunt or feed)

Echinoderms ( sea stars, sea urchins, etc.)

Animals/Fish500-600 species in the Caribbean

8-10 times more in Indo-Pacific

Evolved, flattened body for sharp turns and sudden stops.. “Pancake Fish”

Bold, striking and showy colors ( used for concealment, mate recognition, and warning)

Fun Facts Corals are not plants, they are animals; relatives of jellyfish

and anemones

Coral reefs are found in 1% of the world yet 25% of marine species live here

Algae is the “natural glue” that holds together the reef

The first coral reefs were formed about 500 million years ago

About 10 million bacteria live on one square centimeter of Coral

Human ImpactCoral Reefs are used for fishing and tourism

More than 80% of reefs are considered severely overfished

58% of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by human tourism

Reefs are found in over 109 countries (93 countries have significant reef degradation)

We have already lost 27% of coral reefs in the world (If this rate continues, we will lose 60% or more over the next 30 years)

Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_reef#Locations

http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/coral-reefs-15786954

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080519170720AAWRuJo

http://floridakeysbiome.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/1/0/14104677/8555690_orig.png

www.coral-reef-info.com-animals

www.mnn.com/earth-matters/blogs

www.lifestyle.india.com/lounge/facts-about-coral-reefs

wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/coasts/coral_reefs/coral_facts