By: Mysh… Bohanon Meek… Johnson Kay… Rutherford Coral Reefs!!! By: Mysh… Bohanon Meek… Johnson Kay… Rutherford

WHAT IT L00KS LIKE!!! CORAL REEFS COMES IN DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES AND COLORS. THEY CAN BE ROUND, POINTY AND CURVED. THEY LIVE UNDERWATER IN A MARINE ECOSYSTEM. THEY ARE UNIQUE LOOKING PLANTS.

EXAMPLES OF MARINE BIOMES 0CEANS ESTAURIES AND SALT MARSHES LAG00NS TR0PICAL C0MMUNITIES R0CKY SUBTIDAL (KELP BEDS & SEAGRASS BEDS) INTERTIDAL ( R0CKY, SANDY, AND MUDDY SH0RES)

TEMPURATURE RANGE AT DIFFERENT TIMES (YEAR) Coral reefs develop in shallow, warm water, usually near land and mostly in tropics; coral prefer temperatures between 70 and 85 F.

Facts!!! Thousands of species of plants and animals live in the cracks and crevices of coral reefs, making coral reefs among the most diverse ecosystems on earth. Corals can live only in warm salt water where there is enough light for photosynthesis, so coral reefs are found in shallow, tropical seas. Only the outer layer of a coral reef contains living corals, which build their rock homes with the help of photosynthetic algae.

Threats to Coral Reef!!! If the water surrounding a reef is too hot or too cold, or if fresh water drains into the water surrounding a reef, corals have difficulty producing limestone. If the water is too muddy, too polluted, or too high in nutrients, algae that live with corals will either die or grow out of control and smother the corals.

Animal Adaptations!!! Coral polyps are predators that never chase their prey. They use stinging tentacles to capture small animals that float or swim to close. Their convoluted shape, reef provide habitats for a magnificent variety of tropical fish, as well as for snails , clams, and sponges. The remarkable parrotfish has teeth fused into a beak that it uses to scrape algae and corals off reefs to eat.

Plant Adaptations!!! Flowering plants are absent from oceans, except around the edges. Food for herbivores in the open ocean is provided by the abundant phytoplankton. Some float by means of long spines or whiplike flagella. Others contain oil droplets that acts as floats. When they die the phytoplankton sink towards the bottom, sometimes in vast numbers.

Humans affect the Marine Biome People everywhere heavily use the ocean for food, medicines, oil, other resources, and recreation. Demand for resources from the ocean is damaging ecosystems and depleting these resources. Around the world, unsustainable fishing practices, including the poisoning and dynamiting of coral reefs, catching unwanted fish, dragging nets on the sea floor, overfishing popular species, and fishing in critical reproductive areas are making the problem worse. Pollution is also harming the marine ecosystem. Pollutants, like fertilizers and household products put down the drain make their way through streams and rivers into estuaries, and eventually to the ocean where they badly disrupt the ecosystem and can cause harm to sea life. Oil spills are also a large source of pollution in the oceans. Many organizations and people are currently trying to help protect and clean our oceans.

The &nd!!!