There are over 30 different kinds of corals found in Florida Waters. Individual corals are interconnected colonies of soft polyps. These colonies can form branching corals or massive head corals depending on species. As the colonies compete for space, they grow on top of each other and build what is called a coral reef. Coral reefs provide habitats for thousands of species.

5 Major Organisms Cushion Starfish Cleaner Shrimp Clown Triggerfish Leatherback Sea Turtle Algae

Cushion Starfish They feed on dead plants and animals. Consumer They have five short arms and thousands of small sucker feet on their underside When hungry, the cushion starfish pushes its stomach out of its body through its mouth to surround food

Cleaner Shrimp They eat parasites from an organism’s mouth Consumer This shrimp may also be called the Pacific cleaner shrimp, the white- banded cleaner shrimp, and the skunk cleaner shrimp. In many coral reefs, cleaner shrimp congregate at cleaning stations where fish come to be cleaned of bacteria and dead skin.

Clown Triggerfish They eat sea urchins and mollusks Consumer This fish is also called the big-spotted triggerfish The clown triggerfish is considered a highly prized aquarium fish, but it has a nasty disposition and usually requires a tank of its own. articles/aqua/clown-triggerfish

Leatherback Sea Turtle They eat jellyfish Consumer Leatherback sea turtles are the biggest turtles on Earth A leatherback can weigh more than a ton— 2,000 pounds raphic.com/kids/animal s/creaturefeature/leath erback-sea-turtle/

Algae Most algae use the sun’s energy to create food such as sugars Producer There are over 20,000 varieties of algae Algae produce oxygen

Producer Primary Secondary

Predator/Prey- Clown Triggerfish/ Cleaner Shrimp Parasitism- Leatherback Sea Turtle/ Cleaner Shrimp

Poor Soil Management- Erosion can cause the ocean floor to erode away. Deforestation- Cutting down the coral reefs will cause many organisms to die because many of them live in coral reefs. Air pollution- It can cause global warming which could harm some living organisms living in the coral reefs. Cars and trucks cause most of the pollution in our air. Water pollution- Most water pollution is the result of human activities. Plus, in some areas water is scarce, so water pollution can be very devastating. Many organisms in the coral reef ecosystem can die.

There are many things that could limit a leatherback sea turtles population growth. One of them being human activities. Fishers are always catching them in their nets. And the oil spills are also killing them and their habitats. Climate change is also a key role in their population growth. The leatherback sea turtle is close to extinction. So we have to protect them while we can.