Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are one of the oldest types of living systems on earth, and certainly one of the most spectacular (Goreau, 1987). They are massive underwater structures formed by the limestone skeletons of tiny invertebrate animals. Reefs house a greater diversity of body forms, chemistry, and animal phyla (thirty-two compared to the eight that inhabit the most biodiversity ecosystems on land). Phyla comprise the second largest category of living things, after kingdoms.
Coral animals begin life as free-floating larvae, but settle on the sea floor in sedentary colonies. The term "coral" applies both to these animals and to their skeletons, particularly the skeletons of stone-like corals (Discover 1997).
Many different organisms, including mollusks, sponges, and worms, help shape reefs, but hard corals and various algae are the major architects. In effect, the corals build limestone, because their skeletons are made of Calcium Carbonate. The skeletons deposited by these corals and other organisms accumulate, along with sand and other debris, to form the backbone of the reef. Over tens of thousands of years, chemical and mechanical changes turn the reef into true rock (Alstyne and Paul, 1988).
The body of a coral animal consists of a polyp, which is the living portion of the coral. A polyp is a hollow, cylindrical structure attached at one end to a surface, the other end is a mouth surrounded by tentacles, which gather food and can sting prey to paralyze it. Polyps live in colonies, which grow from 1 to 7 inches, depending on the species. Coral polyps are classified as animals. Microscopic algae live within the animal tissues in a symbiotic relationship. The algae turn sunlight into carbon and sugars, which are then available to the polyp. In turn the polyp filters particles out of the water and excretes waste (nitrogen and phosphorus) that becomes available to the symbiotic algae. It's this very tight nutrient recycling within the coral itself that allows these corals to live in very low nutrient waters.
There are three kinds of reefs: atolls, barrier reefs, and fringing reefs. Atolls are formed out in the middle of the ocean by volcanic subsidence, while fringing and barrier reefs form near continents. Florida contains both of these kinds of reefs, not as far offshore as Australia's Great Barrier Reef, b...
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...al life. Another way that corral growth is controlled is by the weather. All of these are natural occurrences. This should not be confused with human use and disruption which does major harm.
The fourth and final principle of sustainability is that biodiversity must be maintained. This is where we are playing a devastating role to the survival to the reefs. Through human waste and consumption time will only tell if they will survive. I hope that by reading this paper someday we can make a difference.
Works Cited:
“Coral Color.” November 1997. Discover Magazine-Current Clips. P10
Cousteau, J. Y. 1985. The Ocean World. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, NY, pp. 174-175.
Goreau, Thomas. August 1987. “Coral and Coral Parks.” Scientific American. V113:34-36
Luoma, Jon R. Nov. 1996. “Reef Madness” Audubon. V98: n6. P24(3).
Richmond, R. H. 1993. “Coral Reefs: Present problems and Future Concerns Resulting form Anthropogenic Disturbance.” American Zoologist. V33: P524-536.
Van Alstyne, K. L. and V. J. Paul. 1988. “The Role of Secondary Metabolites in Marine Ecological Interactions.” Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium, Australia, Vol. 1.
Earth, an endless source of wonder and beauty, produced the Great Barrier Reef. Hustling and bustling, the Reef thrives like a busy city, teeming with life. Sheltering thousands, corals, maintain the well-being of the Reef; however, the world threatens its nature and delicacy. Populations growing and technological advances increasing, the world becomes more and more disconnected with the natural world, posing an alarming risk for the planet we live on. Although many organizations try to keep the oceans clean, because of human interference and unnatural occurrences, the Great Barrier Reef needs scientific help to adapt corals to new conditions for means of survival, putting pressure on the Australian government to save their ocean environment.
In absence of calcium carbonate, coral and shellfish can’t survive. The ecosystem of ocean depends on these organisms because they offer a large source of food at the bottom of the food chain. They need to be abundant in order t...
We need coral reefs, and not just to make the ocean look pretty and colourful, they are more than just that…
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).
All over the world coral reefs play an important part in our environment. Not only are the reefs colorful and beautiful to look at but the coral reefs house several different types of fish and other sea creatures. Coral reefs have started to decline over the years due to “climate change, El Nino events, overfishing, pollution and other pressures” (Newnham 1). A healthy coral reef can also collapse due to a natural disaster (Newnham 2). There can be several different reasons why a coral reef has started to decline or has been destroyed.
Over the last century, [it is evident that] the current levels are beginning to impact organisms that make their shells out of the minerals aragonite and calcite…” (Bralower) “Coral reef[s] are highly vulnerable to ocean acidific...
The Great Barrier Reef is home to a remarkable number of organisms. The coral itself is made up of the skeletons of tiny, flowerlike water animals called polyps, held together by a limestone substance produced by a type of algae. Hundreds...
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).
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.
Oceans cover 71% of the earth’s surface. The talk of climate change can often seem to focus on what is happening in our atmosphere, but there is a lot of change going on in our oceans. The oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat and 28% of the carbon pollution generated by human consumption of fossil fuels (Nuccitelli 2015). The purpose of this paper is to show how the effects of climate change effect the coral reefs in our oceans, with a focus on the coral reef systems in the Caribbean and of the Great Barrier Reef. The Caribbean coral reefs are well known to have suffered more damage between the two reef systems. That’s not to say that the Great Barrier Reef has not suffered its own damage. It has and will continue to suffer in the future.
Coral Reefs. These amazing organisms play a huge role in the lives of millions of people, as well as on countless species of animals and plants, in more ways than one might imagine. They serve to protect coastlines from major storms, they provide shelter to countless species of fish and aquatic vegetation, and they help to bolster economies in areas surrounding them as tourist attractions. Is coral incredible? Yes. Is it invincible? No. A study conducted by Bernhard Riegl and Sam Purkis serves to demonstrate the fragility of these coral reefs, not only studied, but also, coral reefs around the world; as well as to call into question the actions of society and their effects on the environment. The study analyzes the effects that four back-to-back
Baker, Andrew c. “Climate change and coral reef bleaching: An ecological assessment of long-Term impacts, recovery trends and future outlook.” Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Academic Press, 17 Sept. 2008, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771408003405.
Located in tropical ocean waters, coral reefs provide priceless resources to both human and marine life. The leading natural cause of destruction among the coral reefs is global warming. Other natural causes are earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. The destruction to the coral reefs from these natural disasters is minimal compared to the dangers caused by man. Man-made destruction has a much wider impact on the health of the coral reefs. This destruction includes over-fishing, damage from anchors, aquarium industry, overgrowth of seaweed, and being smothered by sediments.
Coral Reefs need to be preserved for many reasons. In this paper I will discuss a