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Preserving coral reefs in the wake of climate change and man-made interventions
Impact of human overfishing on coral reef ecosystems
Anthropogenic effects on coral reefs
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When you think of the Gulf of Mexico the first thing you don’t think of is coral reefs. You don’t even think of it as place to go surfing. If you ask a surfer what a reef is, they would probably say something that gets in my way while surfing. Reefs being either large or small, have grown for over thousands of years. The build-up of limestone or calcite have given way to magnificent structures that many marine animals call home (Science). Reefs are communities in the ocean where more than hundreds of different ocean species live (Moran). These reefs in the ocean become a community that live alongside each other which allows them to grow. Whether the reef is a place to live, find shelter or a place eat, the reefs of the Gulf of Mexico are truly a wondrous site (Robertson).
There are two kinds of Coral reefs, warm, shallow water reefs that require lots of sunlight and cold, deep ocean water reefs. All natural reefs are a combination of sedimentary rock and calcium carbonate. When we think of coral reefs we imagine the bright, sunny, white sand beaches of the Caribbean but the deep water reefs are inhabited by cold water coral. These coral reefs are created by carbonate secreting animals like black coral, hard coral and octocoral which are the type of coral you will find in the gulf (Georgian). Invertebrates such as algae, sponges and bryozoans, bivalves are some different types of organisms that build these reefs as well. Each of these reef builders are an important part of the reef ecosystem (Science).
The coral polyps are tiny tubular shaped animals that are sometime referred to as hexacorals. The coral look like small sea anemone. Hundreds of them together make up the reef colony. The polyps reproduce by budding or splitting ...
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...uction to Oceanography. Boston, MA: American Meteorological Society, 2011. 296-299. print.
Robertson, Jessica. "www.galleryusgs.gov/audios/197." 18 July 2008. USGS Science for a changing world. artical. 21 March 2014.
Robinson, Lance. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/didyouknow/oysterarticle.phtml. n.d. article. 21 march 2014.
Science, The Sedgwick Museum of Earth. www.sedwickmuseum.org. 1 Janurary 2008. website. 21 March 2014.
Service, National Ocean. flowergarden.noaa.gov. 14 Feburary 2014. artical. 21 march 2014.
—. flowergarden.noaa.gov/about/natrualsetting.htm;#domes. 10 February 2014. artical. 21 March 2014.
Wildlife, Texas parks and. www.tpwd.stat.us/landwater/water/habitats/artifical reef/overview.phtml. n.d. artical. 21 March 2014.
—. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/habitats/atrifical reef/rigs-to-reefs.phtml. 01 January 2014. artical. 21 March 2014.
Hess, D., McKnight, T. L., & Tasa, D. (2011). McKnight's physical geography (Custom ed. for California State University, Northridge ; 2nd Calif. ed.). New York: Learning Solutions.
Coral reefs are huge structures made of limestone that is deposited by living things. There are thousands of species that live in coral reefs, but only a fraction actually produces the limestone that builds the reef. Coral reefs support over 25% of all known marine species. They are one of the most complex ecosystems on the planet, and are home to over 4,000 different types of fish, 700 species of coral and thousands of other plants and animals.
Pabook.libraries.psu.edu, (2014). The Pennsylvania Center for the Book - Rockview SCI. [online] Available at: http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/Rockview.html [Accessed 7 May. 2014].
The world’s coral reefs are quintessential to global biodiversity, so much so that they are often referred to as the "rainforests of the sea". Although their actual space occupied by reefs is relatively small, constituting less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface, they support over 25% of all marine species on earth. They provide complex and varied marine habitats that support a wide range of other organisms including, but not limited to, fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians. Some of these animals feed directly on the corals, while others graze on algae on the reef. The reef also provides a protective habitat for many of these animals.
On a June evening in 1770, British explorer, Captain James Cook heard the irritable screeching of wood against stone. Little did he know, he had just discovered the Great Barrier Reef! Off the coast of Queensland, Australia in the Coral Sea, the GBR is the world's largest reef system, it can even be seen from space! It is approximately 35 million hectares, which equals about 70 million football fields. The GBR hosts an extremely diverse array of marine life from mollusks to fish to sea and shore birds. Attracting about 2 million people per year, the GBR generates AU$4-5 billion annually. A coral reef forms underwater when thousands of tiny animals, called polyps, establish a colony. How did this series of reefs become the Great Barrier Reef?
Coral reefs “form the foundation of all atolls are composed of the skeletons of marine animals which have become fastened onto a rocky substrate in shallow warm water, rich in the calcium used for construction of the skeletons. Most often this attachment is to the skeletons of preceding
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world, it protects coastlines from the dangerous effects of tropical storms and wave action, it is also home to more than 11,ooo marine life. It is one of the world’s largest coral reefs, so large in fact that you can see if from space.
A coral reef is a ridge formed in shallow ocean water by accumulated calcium-containing exoskeletons of coral animals, certain red algae, and mollusks. Coral reefs are tropical, forming only where surface waters are never cooler than 20° C (68° F).
Coral Reefs are said to be the “tropical rainforest” of the sea. They are home to over 25% of all marine life (http://coralreefalliance.org.stories/storyReader$77). Over the past few decades they have been subjected to destructive anthropogenic practices. Some of the major threats to coral reefs include sedimentation, water pollution, harmful recreational activities, and global warming. All of these things cause stress on corals and can potentially cause mortality. Corals are made up of two parts, a polyp and zooxanthellae. A polyp is a calcerous body that grows from a hard part of the ocean floor. Zooxanthellae is a photosynthetic algae which lives in the polyp and provide energy for themselves and the coral. In many cases, corals undergo “bleaching,” which is a process where corals lose the zooxantheallae or chlorophyll pigment, and turn white (Wilkinson et all). After bleaching corals can survive for several months. It is possible for corals to recover by hosting more zooxantheallae, but it can take between 5 and 50 years for them to recover completely (Wilkinson et all, 1999).
Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. (2011). Environmental science: Toward a sustainable future (11th ed., pp. 349-369). Boston: Benjamin Cummings.
Soft corals are grouped in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, and order Alcyonacea. Their distinguishing characteristic is that their polyps always bear eight tentacles which are on both edges fringed by rows of pinnules (Fabricius and De’ath, 2002). The common name “soft coral” comes from the fact that they have no massive external skeleton as compared to the more commonly studied hard corals.
The corals use these products to make proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and produce calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate is what the coral uses to make its hard skeleton. The coral reefs of the world are of vast importance because they host 25% of all marine life on the planet.
This article discusses how important the organisms symbiotic with coral reefs are, as well as how important coral reefs are to our environment. Also explained is how natural and non natural things things like hurricanes and overfishing affects them. A study is quoted about how water acidity also plays a role in the bleaching of corals. Lastly, restoration and conservation efforts are discussed and how we could possibly help our oceans.
Located in tropical ocean waters, coral reefs provide priceless resources to both human and marine life. They exist in an area about 30 degrees on either side of the equator. Coral reefs are home to more species than any other marine ecosystem. This includes over 1500 types of fish and 500 different types of algae. (Encarta) However, nearly 60% of coral reefs are in serious danger due to both natural and man-made causes.
These reefs provide a house for many species. If the coral reefs were to become