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Coral Reefs and their Marine Families Reef IQ

Coral Reefs and their Marine Families Reef IQ. New Vocabulary. New vocabulary will be highlighted in green. Please write down each new word for review at the end of the class. polyps algae ecosystem habitat zooxanthellae tentacles. Introduction to Coral Reefs.

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Coral Reefs and their Marine Families Reef IQ

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  1. Coral Reefs and their Marine Families Reef IQ

  2. New Vocabulary New vocabulary will be highlighted in green. Please write down each new word for review at the end of the class. polyps algae ecosystem habitat zooxanthellae tentacles

  3. Introduction to Coral Reefs Coral reefs are amazing, natural wonders that live in the warm waters of the tropics, providing habitat for thousands of marine creatures.

  4. Corals- ANIMAL or PLANT?

  5. Coral is an ANIMAL! The coralpolypslive inside here • Coral is actually an animal. • They live attached to the sea floor. • They are the builders of the reef! • A single coral animal is called a coralpolyp. • The coral polyps live together in colonies.

  6. Tiny, little animals! Polyps Inside Polyps Outside!

  7. What do they eat? • To get energy to build the coral reef the corals need to eat. • The polyps use theirtentaclesto catch tiny animalsthat float in the water calledzooplankton. • But corals get MOST of their food from marine plants that actually live inside the coral! A coral polyp

  8. What do they eat? • A microscopic type of algae calledzooxanthellaeactually live inside corals, just under their skin. • Corals aresolar-poweredjust like trees on land. The algae that live inside the coral soak up the sun all day - just like sunbathers on the beach. A coral polyp

  9. Coral polyp Coral colony Zooxanthellae Corals Coral Reef

  10. Interesting Coral Reef Facts • The Great Barrier Reef is the largest system in the world and can be seen from outer space. • Corals produce a hard skeleton that forms the actual structure of the reef. • Coral reefs have the second highest biodiversity after rainforests.

  11. Why are coral reefs important? • Habitat:They are home to 33% of all known fish species. • Nursery: And a nursery ground for over 25% of all marine species. Photo by MacGillivray Freeman Films Photo by J. Randall Photo by Dee Wescott

  12. Why are coral reefs important? • Food: they are a food source for millions of people. • Tourism: coral reefs attract tourists from all over the world. • Income: they provide millions of dollars of income annually for people living by coral reefs. • Medical Research: coral reefs have the potential to be used as medical cures to treat cancer, heart disease, HIV and arthritis among others. • Protection: they protect 20% of the world’s coast from wave erosion.

  13. What is a healthy environment for coral reefs? • Sunlight • A certainsalinity • Low nutrient, clear water • Water temperature 18-29 ºC • Water circulation Photo by MacGillivray Freeman Films

  14. What are the man-made threats to coral reefs? • Global warming leading to coral bleaching. • Runoff of chemicals and nutrients from land • Sedimentation. • Rubbish including marine debris • Overfishing • Physical damage from tourists and fishermen • Pollution from untreated sewage and oil. An example of coral bleaching.

  15. What plants live on coral reefs? Algae - lots of different types!

  16. What animals live on the reef? Turtles!

  17. What animals live on coral reefs? Crayfish

  18. What animals live on coral reefs? Hard coral

  19. What animals live on coral reefs? Giant clams

  20. What animals live on coral reefs? Parrotfish

  21. What animals live on coral reefs? Butterflyfish

  22. What animals live on coral reefs? Surgeonfish

  23. What animals live on coral reefs? Damselfish

  24. What animals live on coral reefs? Damselfish including Clownfish, like Nemo!

  25. What animals live on coral reefs? Cleaner shrimp

  26. What animals live on coral reefs? Sponges

  27. What animals live on coral reefs? Coral Trout

  28. What animals live on coral reefs? Sharks

  29. Perhaps you can join them one day! THE END!

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