BENEFITS FUNCTIONS THREATS SOLUTIONS THE CORAL REEFS BENEFITS FUNCTIONS THREATS SOLUTIONS

WHAT ARE CORALS? CORAL IS AN INVERTEBRATE There are two groups of corals Hermatypes- hard corals Ahermatypes- soft corals HERMATYPES AHERMATYPES HARD SOFT ( A FEW HARD ONES) CONTAINS ZOOXANTHELLAE THESE DO NOT CONTAIN ZOOXANTHELLAE Teacher will remind students that an invertebrate is an animal without a backbone Hermatypes are the ones that build reefs

How are the reefs formed? The term coral is used to describe the skeletal remains of these animals, particularly those of the hard corals which form the limestone base that becomes the foundations of the reefs.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF DID YOU KNOW? The great Barrier Reef is the largest structure built by living organisms on earth and is the only living structure visible from outer space.

The body of a coral animal is called a polyp. THE CORAL BODY A Hollow sac-like structure that appears smaller than a pencil eraser The body of a coral animal is called a polyp. At its free end is a mouth surrounded by tentacles Inside the body is a stomach The tentacles contain a stinging structure called nematocysts that enables the polyp to gather food by paralyzing its prey.

The Coral Body Polyps of the hard corals extract calcium carbonate from the sea water and use it to build a hard external limestone skeleton beneath and around their base . This skeleton secures the fragile polyp to a surface and serves as its protection.

Food Source Zooxanthellae Planktons Phytoplanktons Zooplanktons 60 % of the planktons on the reefs are eaten by the coral polyps. Most corals feed only at nights. Some coral are herbivores and some are carnivores Planktons are creatures that , both plants and animals , that move passively through the water . tHey are too small to be seen with the naked eyes

Reproduction and Growth Sexually Asexually Coral polyps reproduce both sexually and asexually Sexual reproduction occurs when the corals spawn. They release eggs and Sperms into the water. The sperm then fertilizes the eggs forming a new creature called a planula. Asexual reproduction occurs by budding. The parent polyp clones itself by dividing to from a new polyp which remains attached to the parent poly tissue. A coral colony then develops by the constant adding of the new buds. Asexually means they reproduce by themselves Reproduction and Growth

BENEFITS They are living organisms. They benefit both man and the environment They are living organisms. They are beautiful and enrich the life of the ocean. They provide food and shelter to thousands of species of plants and animals. They exchange energy and nutrients with other marine ecosystem. Habitat for marine life: fish turtles, octopus, bivalves, sea cucumbers, spiny shrimp, urchins etc.

Benefits to the environment Picture to the right shows the island of Bermuda surrounded by coral reefs. They break waves. Protect the shorelines from erosion. Help to keep beaches and coastal communities intact. Coral Reefs around Bermuda

More Benefits Supplies finfish and shellfish upon which the national economy depends They provide food They provide jobs They provide recreation and entertainment Provide ornamentals-jobs and income for tropical fish gathers They support tourism- snorkel, diving, boating fishing. Health- Recent discoveries for treatment for cancer, AIDS, infection, arthritis, asthma, herpes, and even broken bones Provide Jobs through fishing and tourism

More Benefits The calcium carbonate from the skeleton of the corals of coral animals is used to produce lime which is added to cement and mortar to help it set more quickly. The sand on the beach also benefit from coral reefs as it is formed by the breakdown of dead corals and algae.

Threats Corals are highly sensitive to environmental conditions They grow best in shallow water Water must be clear between 68 degrees Fahrenheit and 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The need normal oceanic salinity They are being threatened globally by natural and man-made disasters.

Threats Global warming and the greenhouse effects. Sea level changes NATURAL HUMANS Global warming and the greenhouse effects. Coral bleaching Sea level changes Hurricanes Cyclones Abnormal weather patterns Fluctuations in seawater temperatures Human impact is catastrophic Over harvesting of fish Use of cyanide and dynamite Nutrients and pesticides draining into the reefs from agriculture Boat anchors carelessly being dropped unto the reefs Deposits of raw sewage Green house gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides are accumulating in the atmosphere. These gases trap the heat from the sun causing and is causing the Earth’s atmosphere to become abnormally warm. The gases also increase from huma activities Threats

Threats Heavy rains that dilute salinity Extreme low tides Diseases NATURAL HUMANS Heavy rains that dilute salinity Extreme low tides Diseases Predator population explosion, e.g. Crown- of thorns- sea stars. Tourists and locals stepping on the corals Coral mining for construction materials Sedimentation from deforestation Road construction Oil pollution from shipping Threats

DAMAGED REEFS IDENTIFY THE CAUSES

Solutions Education and Action Reef preservation What You can do: Learn about reef preservation Volunteer to help protect your reefs Be informed about policy making

Solutions Avoid purchasing products from coral reefs or their inhabitants Be a responsible Eco-tourist Support reef conservations Be responsible when you dive and snorkel Be a responsible boater and fisherman

Preserve to Conserve

What are you going to do ?