Coral Reefs
- Created by: Brad_ers_B
- Created on: 04-05-14 13:32
View mindmap
- Coral reefs
- A limestone structure produced over a long period of time. Are an animal
- Coral nutrition
- Stick hair-like trap planktonic organisms or stinging cells stab and kill
- 90% of food energy is from symbiotic algae inside the coral polyps and produce sugars
- Abiotic conditions required
- Warm stable temperatures, 25-29°C
- Bright sunlight
- Low turbidity so the feeding clia and sunlight isn't blocked
- Salinity must remain constant
- A hard substrate needed for polyp attachment
- Importance of coral reefs
- Medical discoveries
- Biologically active substances can be produced for defence
- The biological substances can be used in medicine developments
- Fisheries
- Often an important food source for locals
- Source of income
- Protection from erosion
- Reefs absorb wave energy
- Without a reef low lying islands and coastal areas are more likely to suffer erosion, storm damage and flooding
- Climate control
- Some CO2 assimilate by reefs is converted to Calcium carbonate
- Acts as carbon reservoir
- Tourism
- Attract tourists that make large contribution to economies
- Medical discoveries
- Threats
- Physical damage
- Divers, swimmers, boat anchors, litter
- The coral will regrow but damage is faster than repair
- Souvenirs and ornaments
- Collected to be sold as tourist souvenirs
- 2000 species restricted by CITES Appendix 2, but not always enforced effectively
- Climate change
- Sea temperatures increase, some reefs may die due to prolonged bleaching
- Increasing hurricane frequencey increases reef damage
- With sea levels rising harder for some corals to grow fast enough to stay near enough the surface to photosynthesise
- CO2 levels increase so more dissolves into the sea reducing the pH, this causes limestone to dissolve
- Pollution
- Oil, pesticides and cyanide
- Fertilisers can increase algae growth blocking light
- Fishing
- Overexploitation
- Nets damaging, dynamite destroys coral, cuanide poisons
- Physical damage
- Conservation
- Fixed mooring buoys so no anchor use
- Divers, snorkellers and swimmers educated
- No-Take Zones
- Ecotourism, sustainable development
- Coastal developments controlled
- Human activites controlled
Comments
No comments have yet been made