Coral ReefBy: Aliyaa & Leila

•http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-43042789/stock-photo-exotic-fish-swimming-in-coral-reef.html•lhttp://www.shutterstock.com/pic-2233015/stock-photo-spotted-eagle-rays-aetobatus-narinari-swimming-over-coral-reef-lined-butterflyfish.html • http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-2823932/stock-photo-coral-reef.html

Introduction to Coral ReefsThe coral reef is the Oceans Rain Forest. Coral reefs

normally live in tropical regions.  Some reefs live in places that are cool, but never cold areas. The coral reefs are found around the world in warm places (about 68-82 digress F).

The coral reefs are in waters about 150 feet deep because they require sunlight to survive. The reefs frequently develop in areas that have wave action because the waves transport in food, nutrients and oxygen. Reefs also need oxygen to grow. Which is more often found in shallow warm waters.

http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/coralreef.html#animals http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00042/

Location of the Reef

•http://www.solcomhouse.com/images/coral05a_480.jpg

Plants & Animals

•http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-16954342/stock-photo-caribbean-reef-shark.html• http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-19232836/stock-photo-puffer-fish.html • http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-55160920/stock-photo-colorful-underwater.html

Brittle Star The brittle star (also called

the serpent star) is a spiny, hard-skinned, long-armed animal that lives on the rocky sea floor, from shallow waters to great depths.

Brittle stars are NOT fish, but are related to sea stars.

The most common brittle star is the long-armed brittle star, a gray-blue, luminescent (glowing) species.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/invertebrates/echinoderm/Brittlestar.shtml

Sea Horse Seahorses are a type of small fish that

have armored plates all over their body (they don't have scales). They live in seaweed beds and coral reefs in warm water and are very slow swimmers.

Seahorses can change their color to camouflage (hide) themselves in order to hide from enemies.

The female seahorse produces eggs, but they are held inside the male's body until they hatch; he is pregnant for about 40 to 50 days. The sea horse is the only animal in which the father is pregnant.

 http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-63414628/stock-photo-sea-horse.html http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/Oceanlife.shtml

Sea Grass •Sea grass are flowering plants that live in the coastal waters of most of the worlds’ continents.•Sea grass has adapted to living in habitats behind the coral reefs (back reefs) where they trap sediments from overloading coral reefs. •Sea grass provides transferable food and oxygen to the coral reefs.

• http://www.seagrasswatch.org/seagrass.html

Human Activities

Ocean PollutionOne of the leading threats to the coral reefs is pollution

of ocean water. Every year gallons of oil and sewage pollute the ocean. All of this causes water pollution.

These impacts reduce the firmness of corals. Higher temperatures lead to heat stress, which causes the coral to banish the algae that live in their tissues in a protective, symbiotic relationship.

Algae is what they eat, and without it they don’t get enough food. This leads to the point where the polyps can’t grow or reproduce.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/threats-to-coral-reefs.html http://weheartworld.com/featured/coral-reefs-face-extinction/ http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/coral_reef.htm  

Pollution in the coral

•http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/00/earthpulse/reef/reef1_flash.html

Over Fishing Fishermen are the most humans that impact the

coral reefs. They use spear guns, commercial poisons, and

sometimes dynamite for fishing. All of these materials damage the coral reef!

When the fisher men overfish in the coral reef area they cause damage to food chains around the reefs also. Specifically to the Great Barrier Reef, overfishing has caused a shift in the reef ecosystem.

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/coral_reef.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112412/coral_reefs.htm http://sitemaker.umich.edu/gc2sec7labgroup3/over-fishing

Over Fishing Impacting the Coral

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Our Opinion

Why do we humans Pollute the coral?

Sometimes Humans pollute the coral because it is a way if getting rid of their wastes.

Also because of the high costs of safe disposal.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071201025843AAKWANV

http://www.google.com.qa/imgres?imgurl=http://www.underwatertimes.com/news2/brain_coral_pollution.

Why is over fishing being done?

Even though there has been a drop of about 12 million tons in how many fish are caught, the fisher men are still catching fish even though they don't need the fish.

•http://www.google.com.qa/imgres?imgurl=http://business-ethics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/

•http://sitemaker.umich.edu/gc2sec7labgroup3/over-fishing

Our Thinking The threats toward the coral reefs are

growing everyday. I believe that humans should not interfere with the coral reefs since humans have damaged the ocean seabed’s.

Did you know that more than 1,500 species of animals depend on the coral reefs this means that human beings are damaging homes of more than 1,500 species of animals.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/00/earthpulse/reef/reef1_flash.html  http://www.solcomhouse.com/coralreef.htm

THANK YOU!