1. Coral Reefs
By Helena Nikoguova

2. Geography
Climate:
-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).

3. Geography
Avg. Rainfall: Southwest gets 60 inches per year, differs for each reef.
Sunlight: Needs lots for symbiotic algae to do photosynthesis.
Depth: No deeper than feet.
Clean Water: Sensitive to pollution and sediments.

4. 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)

5. Seasonal Changes Caribbean Sea:
Almost no variation of phytoplankton concentrations occurs in most areas
Amazon River
Nutrients and other
runoff washed into the
sea after the rainy
season
Phytoplankton bloom-
ing increases

6. 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)

7. Animal Life
Coral Polyps
Parrotfish
Damselfish
Hawksbill Turtle

8. Animal Life Cleaner Shrimp Jellyfish Sea Krait (Snake)
Red-knobbed Seat Star

9. Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)
Vegetation
Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)
Red algae
Brown algae
Coralline algae

10. Vegetation
Calcareous algae
Turtle grass
Manatee grass
Shoal grass

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. Plant Adaptations Seagrasses + rhizomes (underground creeping stems)
Anchoring
Filtering
Preventing beach erosion

14. Plant Adaptations Calcification Chemicals 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

15. Food Web

16. 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).

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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)

20. Conservation Techniques
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Artificially placing hermatype coral onto substrate
Restoring sections of broken reef with concrete
Reef balls