By Helena Nikoguova Coral Reefs. Geography Climate: -Clear, shallow, warm, optimum temp is 24...
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Transcript of By Helena Nikoguova Coral Reefs. Geography Climate: -Clear, shallow, warm, optimum temp is 24...
By Helena Nikoguova
Coral Reefs
GeographyClimate:
-Clear, shallow, warm, optimum temp is 24 degrees Celsius
-Require a salinity of 33 ppt.
Location:
-Wider Caribbean (Atlantic Ocean)
-The Indo-Pacific (from East Africa and the Red Sea to the Central Pacific Ocean).
GeographyAvg. Rainfall: Southwest
gets 60 inches per year, differs for each reef.
Sunlight: Needs lots for symbiotic algae to do photosynthesis.
Depth: No deeper than 60-
90 feet. Clean Water: Sensitive to
pollution and sediments.
Seasonal Changes
• Gulf of Maine:– Winter: less phytoplankton (less sunlight,
mixing of ocean layers)– Spring: more phytoplankton (more nutrients
washed in, more sunlight)– Summer: less phytoplankton (it gets eaten)– Fall: second phytoplankton increase (increased
water overturning)
Seasonal Changes• Caribbean Sea:
– Almost no variation of phytoplankton concentrations occurs in most areas
– Amazon River Nutrients and other
runoff washed into thesea after the rainy season
Phytoplankton bloom-ing increases
Limiting Factors
• Space
• Water temperature (currents) [68 to 82F]
• Depth and light amount [<150 ft]
• Salinity [30 to 40 parts per thousand]
• Runoff and Sedimentation
• Water movement (oxygen, nutrients, larvae)
Animal Life
Coral Polyps Parrotfish
Damselfish Hawksbill Turtle
Animal Life
Jellyfish Cleaner Shrimp
Sea Krait (Snake) Red-knobbed Seat Star
Vegetation
Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)
Red algae
Brown algae Coralline algae
Vegetation
Calcareous algae Turtle grass
Manatee grass Shoal grass
Animal Adaptations
Toxins: Makes unappetizing to deter predators; compete for space.
Symbiosis: Corals have a mutualistic relationship with zooxanthellae.
Schooling: Fish traveling with large group during day, and dispersing when senses a predator.
Animal Adaptations
Nocturnal: Ex. Caribbean Spiny Lobsters
-Hunt at night = safer from eagle rays, sharks.
Color/Camouflage: Ex. Flounder Fish
-Looks like sand on reef
floor.
Plant Adaptations
• Seagrasses + rhizomes (underground creeping stems)– Anchoring– Filtering– Preventing beach
erosion
Plant Adaptations
• Calcification– Neptune’s Shaving
Brush– prevents grazing– makes plant harder to
digest /uproot
• Chemicals– Ceramium sp. – Chemical production
alters taste to make them unappealing to herbivores
Food Web
Human Pressures• Nearly 1/3 of 704 species are endangered, or on the verge.
• Mass bleaching in 1998 wiped out 16% of all reefs.
• In last decade, much deterioration caused by humans, natural disasters, climate changes.
• Sea surface temperature + ocean acidity have risen
(acidification from carbon dioxide).
Human Pressures and Activities
• Overfishing (ecosystem imbalance)• Pollution
– Organic: soil runoff (algal blooms), windborne, sewage, mines
– Non-organic: chemical fertilizers, oil, other factory outlet chemicals, radioactive wastes
• Global warming– Sea level rise, temperature
increase: coral bleaching, coral diseases
Human Pressures and Activities
• Ocean acidification – Increased CO2+water=carbonic acid=pH
drop=reduced calcification
• Coral mining (coral rocks used for cement)
• Loss of mangrove forests and seagrasses
• Fishing boat damage, mooring, building construction
Conservation Techniques
• Many programs use plant propagation• Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
– Fishery management– Habitat protection
• Electrochemical techniques– Adding white carbonate (aragonite)– Inhibiting algal bloom growth– Mineral accretion (artificial reef surfaces)
Conservation Techniques
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• Artificially placing hermatype coral onto substrate
• Restoring sections of broken reef with concrete
• Reef balls