Transcript Index: [www.altoona.k12.wi.us]

Index:
1:Marine Life
2: Interesting Coral Dwelling Species
3: Interesting Coral Species
4: Threats
5:Prevention of damage
Marine Life
•Fewer than 1000 coral building
species in existence
•35,000 to 65,000 coral dwelling species
have been described
•Believed to be between 1 to 9 million coral
dwelling species in existence
Interesting Fish Species
Two species that we all know about are the Clownfish and the Regal Tang.
This is mostly due to their role in Finding Nemo as Nemo and Dory.
Regal Tang:
•Found in reefs in East Africa,
Japan, Samoa, New Caledonia, and
of course, the Great Barrier
Reef.
•Diet consists of plankton and
algae.
•Can grow to about 10 inches in
length.
•Live in schools that range from
10 to 12 of their species.
Clownfish:
•Found in the Pacific ocean and
Indian Oceans, Northwest Australia
(Great Barrier Reef), Southeast
Asia, Japan, and the Indo/Malaysia
area.
•Diet consists of the leftovers of
fish on algae, and anemone
•Can grow from 2 to 5 inches in
length.
•Live in captivity 3 to 5 years
and in the wild 6 to 10 years.
Humphead Wrasse
• One of the largest Coral living fish, can grow
to over six and a half feet long. Typically only
reach about three feet in length though.
•Can live for over thirty years.
•Found in the red Sea, African Coast, and the
Indian and Pacific oceans.
•Diet consists of mollusks and other
invertebrates.
•Some change there sex later on in life after
growing larger and older.
“Frog Fish”
•Small fish, generally around 4-8 inches.
•Use “spines” on there body's to attract
and lure in prey.
• Walk on there fins instead of
swimming
•Able to change there color to match
surrounding areas.
•Diet consists of small fish, shrimp, and
crabs.
Coral Catshark
•Can grow to two feet in length.
•Feed on invertebrates and other small
fish.
•Found in the Indian and Western Pacific
Oceans, Pakistan, India, Malaysia,
Philippines, New Guinea, Southern China
and Japan. Also found in Australia at the
Great Barrier Reef.
Interesting Coral Species
Favia Corals
•Often referred to as the brain coral because of
its brain-like appearance.
•Can sting other corals and animals if needed.
•Receives some nutrients through
photosynthesis
•Filter feeding coral, meaning it “strains” of
sucks and filters out food from surrounding
water.
Catalaphyllia Coral Species
•Often referred to as elegance coral
•Lives up to 130 ft. below the surface.
•Can reach 12” long by 8” wide
•Eat Planktonic organisms, food
particles, and dissolved organic
organisms
Mushroom Corals
•Located in the Indian and the Pacific
Oceans.
•As typical for most corals these corals can
be many colors.
•They are listed under a vulnerable species
under the endangered species list.
•Shrimp use the tentacles of the certain
corals in this group to hide from predators.
Threats to Coral Reefs and Coral Dwelling Species
The obvious major threat to coral reefs is
humans, this is through many ways. Ocean
acidification is the process of co2 absorbing
into the oceans and water areas. Over 1/3 of
the co2 released from humans has been
absorbed into the ocean. This equates to over
525 billion tons of co2. As the co2 reacts with
seawater it depletes the carbon Ions which play
an important role in shell formation. This makes
it harder for corals to survive as long as the
coral dwelling species that rely on the corals.
Threats to Coral Reefs and Coral Dwelling Species
Another reductions due to humans is
urbanization. In many cases people have built
peers and structures directly over these reefs,
killing them.
Destructive fishing practices also have
been killing off corals, things such as cyanide
fishing, where you squirt cyanide on fish and
corals, which stun them and make them easier to
catch. This kills off corals and the fish that
live there. Blast fishing, where they use
explosives to kill the fish, is a mass
destructor of corals and the environment around
there.
Threats to Coral Reefs and Coral Dwelling Species
Coral mining is a practice where people mine corals for
use in bricks, road fill, and other things. This is destructive
because it is removing coral in mass from already vulnerable
reefs.
Construction along reefs as well as mining, and farming
lead to erosion releasing particles into the ocean which
blankets the corals in a layer of sediments, killing and
destroying the reefs.
Threats to Coral Reefs and Coral Dwelling Species
Water pollution is another major threat to coral
reefs and coral dwelling species. Gas, Oil, Pesticides,
and other dangerous materials are being released into
the oceans and water ways killing off lots of marine
life, not only reef species. When these chemicals
reach reefs it causes an increase in nitrogen, making
lots of more algae grow which smothers the reefs and
ultimately kills them.
Prevention
All of the dangers listed above are among
the many dangers to coral reefs. If life
continues as it is we will no longer have coral
reefs. The things above can be prevented. This
is through education. If people learned and
knew about these things, they would no longer
do them. We need to take a stand to help
protect these reefs otherwise they may be
eradicated.