The Mesoamerican Reef is a coral reef that runs over 900 km
along the coast of Mexico, Belize and Honduras The reef is home to
over 500 species of fish, 60 different species of coral, sea
turtles, whale sharks, dolphins, salt water crocodiles as well as
one of the worlds largest manatee populations. What is it?
Slide 3
The reef acts as a barrier for storms, harsh ocean conditions
and hurricanes to the wildlife in the reef. In studies done during
Hurricane Katrina, the coral was shown to decrease the waves by as
much as 6x. This means the difference between a 12 metre wave and a
2 metre wave. The reef is attached very closely to ecosystems on
the mainland including lagoons, wetlands, sea grass beds and
mangrove islands. What else does it do?
Slide 4
Slide 5
Global Warming Warmer water causes coral bleaching Introduced
or Unwanted Species Lionfish What is threatening it?
Slide 6
Global warming and the increase in temperature of the water
causes what is known as coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is where
the increase in temperature of the water kills algae living on the
coral. This algae is important because it is a primary food supply
for the coral. Some of the corals living on the reef include soft
corals, finger corals and palmate corals. Global Warming
Slide 7
Bleached Coral
Slide 8
Certain coral species exist solely on this reef and may go
extinct due to lack of food. The coral on the reef provides shelter
from storms and dangerous ocean conditions to the species that live
within the coral reef. If the coral on the reef dies, there will be
dire consequences to the surrounding ecosystems Why does this
matter?
Slide 9
In the case of Mesoamerican reef, an invasive species is a
species that is not native to that particular ecosystem. Invasive
species are often introduced to an ecosystem through events caused
by humans. They disrupt an ecosystem typically because there are no
natural predators, which allows their numbers to increase without
bound. They often feed on other species in the ecosystem and due to
their ever increasing population, can eliminate their prey very
quickly. Invasive Species
Slide 10
Looks harmless
Slide 11
In the case of the Mesoamerican Reef, one invasive species that
is causing problems is the Red Lionfish. The Red Lionfish is a fish
with long, venomous tentacles that has been introduced accidentally
into the Mesoamerican Reef from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. With
no natural predators, the Red Lionfish is multiplying at a rapid
rate. The Red Lionfishs diet consists of a variety of smaller fish
and mollusks within the Mesoamerican Reef. This presents a problem
because the number of Red Lionfish is quickly increasing and they
will eventually overwhelm their prey in the reef ecosystem.
Lionfish
Slide 12
The Mesoamerican Reef is a complex ecosystem with a wide
variety of species of coral, fish, mollusks and other sea life. If
one species is eliminated from the ecosystem, it can offset the
balance and cycle of the rest of the ecosystem directly affecting
the predator and prey of the Red Lionfishs diet. As well, if the
Red Lionfish eliminates a species exclusive to the Mesoamerican
Reef, the species will go extinct. Why does this matter?
Slide 13
There is a group known as The Nature Conservancy that runs
projects and helps raise funds to protect various ecosystems around
the world including The British Virgin Islands, Maui, The
Mesoamerican Reef and many more locations. They have a plan to help
protect The Mesoamerican Reef and the wildlife living on it. See
the Microsoft Word document for more details. What is being
done?