Threats, Human Benefits, Food Web

What are corals? Plants or animals? Plants make their own food Animals depend on outside sources for their nutritional requirements

They’re animals! Coral animals take advantage of both forms of nutrition by hosting plant- like algae (protists) in their tissues. The majority of the coral’s energy needs are provided by tiny algae called zooxanthellae Zooxanthellae live inside the coral and produce food using the sun’s energy from carbon dioxide and water

Zooxanthellae (zoo-zan-thel-a) Symbiotic relationship Close relationship between two or more organisms Mutualism: benefiting both partners Corals animals and zooxanthellae Sensitive to high light, variations in the concentrations of salt and especially to high temperatures Use sunlight for photosynthesis If sea temperature is too high, zooxanthellae leave, causing the corals to appear brilliant white

What is coral bleaching? Bleaching is what happens to corals when sea temperatures are too warm for zooxanthellae to live Zooxanthellae gives coral it’s color, when there is more zooxanthellae, the corals are green/brown

Coral Bleaching

Major threats to coral reefs Natural Hurricanes Typhoons El Nino Coral-eating organisms Diseases Ocean Acidification Human Over-fishing Coastal development Sewage and other pollution Rising global temperatures Carless tourism

Over-fishing Major problem for not only coral reefs, but for the ocean in general Fishing selectively takes larger, predatory fish off the reef causing explosions of smaller herbivorous fish When larger fish become scarce, the herbivorous fish are then targeted by fishermen Without herbivores, seaweeds can overgrow the corals and smother them Destructive fishing practices include using cyanide to stun fish for capture for the marine aquarium and live fish trades and blast fishing to kill fish for food Fishing methods are not species-specific, so many organisms are killed in the process and habitats that took thousands of years to build are destroyed

Coastal Development Threatens the reefs in a number of ways Coastal construction often removes mangroves and seagrass beds, which takes away the sediment barrier Excess sediments cover corals, blocking light necessary for their symbiotic zooxanthellae Under natural conditions, corals are able to out- compete seaweeds because of the low nutrient content in tropical waters When outside nutrients are added, faster growing seaweeds can take over and smother corals

Coastal Development

Sewage and other pollution Adds unnatural and potentially harmful substances to the reef systems including nutrients, pathogens and trash Implicated in the apparent surge in coral diseases, especially in the Caribbean Garbage pollution Sewage pollution Air pollution

Rising global temperatures One of the most global threats to coral reef ecosystems If temperature is raised above critical level, the zooxanthellae leave, causing corals to bleach What causes global temperatures to rise? Burning of fossil fuels Changes in land use Reduction in forest cover

Human Threats by location Local over-fishing and coastal development Regional pollution affecting rivers Globally global warming which raises the temperature of the ocean water

Why Care about Coral Reefs? Healthy Coral Reefs = A Healthy World Support 25% of all marine life Provide habitat, income, food, protection, medicine Animals that live nowhere else Home to more than 4,000 species of fish, 700 species of coral and thousands of other plant and animal life. Scientists estimate that, in total, more than one million species of plants and animals are associated with coral reef ecosystems Millions of humans depend on coral reefs Coral reefs provide economic goods and ecosystem services worth about $375 billion each year Coral reefs protect the beaches

Protect 109 countries’ coastlines Coral reefs save lives Several important drugs have already been developed from chemicals found in coral reef organisms Cardiovascular disease Ulcers Leukemia Skin cancer More than half of all new cancer drug research focus on marine organisms

Global Climate Change and Our Life Styles How to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: 1. Conserve energy 2. Buy a fuel-efficient car and drive less often 3. Reduce, re-use and recycle 4. Plant trees 5. Reduce water use 6. Choose sustainable seafood 7. Educate yourself!

The Great Barrier Reef Largest coral reef system in the world Located off Australia’s East Coast Over 1257 miles long and covers aobut 186,000 miles Home to more than 1500 species of fish, dolphins, whales and sea turtles A collection of 3,000 smaller reefs

Impacts of Climate Change

Types of Reefs Fringing reefs Most common type of reef, form along a coastline Grow on the continental shelf in shallow water Barrier reefs Grow parallel to shorelines but farther away from shore Usually separated from the land by a deep lagoon Form a barrier between the lagoon and seas Atolls Rings of coral reef growing on top of old sunken volcanoes Over 300 atolls in the South Pacific Contain islands

Coral Reef Food Web Zooxanthellae provide corals with vital nutrients produced through photosynthesis Plant life in the sea is composed of microscopic planktonic algae that comprise the base of the entire marine food chain The wealth of plant life supports quantities of tiny drifting animals (zooplankton) which feel upon drifting plants, and are ultimately swept across coral reefs Coral polyps feed on zooplankton suspended in the flow of sea water Zooplankton is a substantial part of the coral reef food chain

Get the Facts! Coral reefs are in crisis, dying at an alarming rate worldwide An estimated 25% of coral reefs already disappeared and an estimated two-thirds of all oral reefs are at risk today An estimated 88% of the reefs in Southeast Asia, the most species rich reefs on earth, are at risk Since 1975, more than 90% of the reefs in the Florida Keys have lost their living coral cover The most important fact: There are solutions to this crisis.

Questions?