G3+Coral+Bleaching

Coral Bleaching in Coral Reefs By: Megan G ., Janell C ., and Ellie D. Coral reefs are being bleached by high/low water temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions, and more.

Click here to watch our Photostory about Coral Bleaching> [|Coral Bleaching.wmv]​

__** Food Web **__
 * __Abiotic Factors__ **
 * Sunlight
 * Temperature
 * Water
 * Solar Irradiance
 * Subaerial Exposure
 * Inorganic Nutrients
 * Freshwater Dilution
 * Global Climate
 * __Biotic Factors__ **
 * Algae
 * Zooplankton
 * Sea Cucumber
 * Other sea plants
 * Parrotfish
 * Sharks
 * Blow Fish
 * Crustaceans
 * Crab
 * Squid
 * Sea Star
 * Sea Cow
 * Dugong
 * Oyster
 * Other sea animals
 * __Threats to the Ecosystem:__ **
 * If water temperatures get too high or too low then the coral will bleach and die
 * Inorganic nutrients can cause the coral damage
 * Boats and anchors can be dragged through coral reefs which can destroy them permanently leaving many animals,bacteria, and other things without a home
 * Global temperatures can be a contributing factor to the destroying of coral reefs
 * Warm water encourages harmful algae to cover the coral, which kills it because the algae blocks out the sun
 * If algae forms on the coral, then fish will usually eat it, but because of too much fishing there are not enough fish to eat the algae
 * Dynamite which is thrown into the water can and will damage the reefs
 * Poisons in the water will kill the reefs

​ ​ __**Importance of Coral Reefs**__ Coral reefs are amazing ecosystems, scatterred across the equator. In this peice, we hope to share with you how wonderful and important coral reefs really are. Coral reefs are big communites that hold thousand of organisms, and they all live together. This makes reefs the home of many diverse species. Even though they might look like a never-changing rock fixture, you're wrong. Coral is made up of the skeletal remains of small marine polyps. Though they look like they're still, corals are living, growing animals. Reefs grow toward the surface, and even though their progress is slow (they only grow about an inch every hundred years!), there is growth all the same. When coral reefs reach sea level, they start to grow horizontally instead. This means, if undisturbed, coral reefs can grow to be huge. The barrier reef in Australia is just one example. Coral reefs grow as the result of organisms' that make up the reefs. But they are also made up of built up sand and rubble, made when animals and plants are broken down by waves. Even when the organisms die, they are still contributing to the development of the reef. Many factors play a role in reef. There are abiotic factors, which are ones that aren't living, and biotic factors, or ones that are living. Temperature plays a huge role in the surval of coral reefs, because without the right temperature, corals die. Sedimentation also collects on these great displays. Usually, this isn't good. Sedimentation often is depostited into the oceans from rivers that have run through eroding soil. If the grime blocks the sunlight from sea-baring plants, then they can't get sunlight from the surface. Without sunlight, plants can't perform photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis, they can't get energy and end up dying. As we said before, coral reefs are home to many organisms. The organisms that make up the reef itself provide homes for other aimals. In this way, the "communities" are meshed together like a web. This food web shows how all animals rely on each other for food and energy: (make food web) Coral reefs make up some of the most populated and complex ecosystems. They're totally relient on calcium carbonate secreted by coral, yet they can support a vast variety of species. This makes them one of the most amazing and unique ecosystems in the whole world. Nicknamed "rainforest of the sea", they truly do live up to their name. But many times over, we are losing these delicate sanctuaries. Due to green house emmissions (the burning of fossil fuels), we have been raising the overall global climate. Since coral reefs can only live in a very small temperature range, the sudden raise of temperatures have been devastating. The results cause corals to get sick, and the algae leave the coral. The corals then lose their color, or bleach, giving the most common sickness the name "coral bleaching".

__**Conservation Ideas**__ 1. To help stop coral reef​s from bleaching, we could monitor water temperatures near coral reefs and if the water is getting too hot or too cold we could help to cool down or heat up the water. We could do that by constantly having volunteers looking at the water temperatures and if there is a rise or fall in temerature we could have someone near the location of the reef fix the problem. 2. We coul​d also block off coral reefs with damage so that threats to the reef such as boats, anchors, etc. wont be able to cause more damage to the reefs.If we do this, then we could work to fix the reefs by adding more fish to eat harmful algae, or to let the reef grow back natrually without being disturbed.

Here are where coral reefs are in peril. ^ [] [|http://www.econguru.com/fundamentals_of_ecology/image/graz][|ingfoodweb.gif]

click to see another picture http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/?terms=coralbleaching&edit=yes&page=1 Bibliography 1. Biotic factors [] 2. Abiotic factors [] 3. Importance of Coral reefs [], [], [], [], [] 4. Food Web [] Barracuda [], Algae' [], Shark [] Small Fry [] Sea Weed __[]__  Dugong [] Parrot Fish [] Crab []Dead Coral