1. What are the threats to coral reefs?
Coral Oceans
Geography | Ages 14-16
Lesson 5
What are the threats to coral reefs?

2. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
List the threats to coral reefs.
Describe the different threats to coral reefs. Look at different scales – local in Timor-Leste (dangerous fishing) systemic (Climate change)
Evaluate the threats to the coral reefs.

3. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Starter: How do nutrients move through the coral reef?
Draw the nutrient cycle found in coral reefs and explain the movement of nutrients.
plankton
decomposition
Coral polyp
seaweed
seagrass
zooxanthellae
Nutrients available
animals

4. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Coral reef nutrient cycling
There are a wide range of producers on the reef, including plants (e.g. seagrass), microalgae (e.g. phytoplankton), macroalgae (e.g. seaweed) and algae inside coral tissue (zooxanthellae). We have used ‘plants’ as shorthand to include all plants and algae.
plankton
‘plants’ absorb from the water column and sediment
seaweed
seagrass
zooxanthellae
Coral polyp
Nutrients available
animals
Some waste is directly cycled, e.g. coral polyps providing the algae that live inside them with nutrients via waste.
Animals eat plants and other animals
Nutrients are made available from waste in the water column and released from decomposition in the sediment.
decomposition
Decomposers such as bacteria break down waste and dead ‘plants’ and animals.

5. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
How many can you think of?

6. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Coral threats
VIEW GALLERY

7. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Dissolving ‘coral’ and ‘shells’ in vinegar
VIEW ACTIVITY

8. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Ocean acidification in a cup
VIEW ACTIVITY

9. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Pigs on the beach
VIEW VIDEO

10. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Seaview Science: Reefs in recovery
VIEW VIDEO

11. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Classification of the threats – local or systemic
A systemic threat is something that is a result of global practices that will affect all coral reefs globally.
Colour code the threats you have on your sheets. Local or systemic

12. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Evaluation of threats – Which threat do you think is the worst? Why?

13. Lesson 5: What are the threats to coral reefs?
Home learning
Can we reduce the effect of these threats? How?
Are there any threats which MUST be resolved on a governmental scale?
What can we do as individuals?