Download pdf - 1.9 Coral Reefs - University of Miami€¦ · allowed to thrive, coral reefs form immense habitats for other species. Coral reefs are estimated to be some of the most valuable and

MarineConserva,onScience&PolicyCurriculum–2012,2015DeeringEstate.Allrightsreserved.1

FocusQuestionWhat is a coral reef?Whatorganismsmakeup thisecosystemandwhyare they important?Whatarethethreatstothisecosystemandhowcanweprotectit?

ObjectivesStudentswillexplorethecoralreefanddiscoversomeoftheorganismsthatliveinthishabitat.Studentswilllearnto:

• Identifythefeaturesofacoralreefandsomeoftheanimalsthatliveinthishabitat.• Analyzetheimportanceofthisecosystemandelaboratewaystoprotectit.• Elaborateaneducationalbrochureexplainingkeyfeaturesofthishabitat.

Student will discuss the importance of this habitat and how it can be protected for futuregenerations.Thiswillbeaproject-basedactivitywherestudentswillapplynewknowledgetocreateaneducationalbrochure.

BackgroundWhile corals are usually categorized as ancient animals, they actually have features

thatplacethemintheuniquepositionofresemblingplants,animalsandminerals.Coralsareindividually known as polyps, tiny, simple organisms related to jellyfish and anemones thatconsist almostentirelyofa stomachanda tentacledmouth that isused to snareand ingestplankton.Theseanimal-liketraitsofconsumingotherorganismsarethencounterbalancedbytheir relationship with zooxanthellae, microscopic, single-celled algae that live inside eachpolyp.Coralpolypsandzooxanthellaehaveasymbioticrelationship,withthecoralsprovidingnutrienttothezooxanthellaeandwhoprovidenutrientstothepolypthroughphotosynthesis.By receiving energy from the Sun and remaining rooted in the photic zone, this relationshiplendsthecoralplant-liketraits.Inaddition,eachpolypformsacalciumcarbonateexoskeleton,with thousands of polyps constructing coral colonies together with the mineral strength tohousemillionsofmarineorganisms.Someofthese coloniesformthe largest living structuresonEarth,suchastheGreatBarrierReefinAustraliawhichbeseenfromspace.

Coral reefs are formations of the skeletal remains of coral polyps, built up overthousandsofyearsandfoundincoastalwatersintropicalandsubtropicaloceansallaroundtheworld.Coralreefsareusuallyfoundatdepthsof0-450ft,butsomeslow-growingcoralwithoutzooxanthellaehavebeenfoundthrivinginthedark,colddepths20,000ft.belowthesurface.Acommonmisconceptionistogroupcoralsashardandsoft,whiletheyareactuallydividedintothreesub-groupsaccordingtotheircellularsymmetryasviewedundermicroscope(i.e.8-sidedsymmetrymeansthateachpolyphaseighttentaclesandeightmembranes).

Coralcanreproducesexuallybysynchronousspawningortheycandividetheircellsinaformofasexualreproduction.Whenbuildingacoralcolony,threemaintypesofcoralreefscanbeformed:fringingreefsthathugthecoastline;barrierreefsthatrunparalleltotheshorebutare separatedbya channel;andatolls,whicharering-shapedandareoftentoppedwithsandaroundaninnerlagoon.Toallowforphotosynthesisandahealthyreedsystem,most

MarineConservationScience&Policy:CoralReefs

GradeLevel:

4th–12th

SubjectAreaScienceBiologyDuration1.5Hrs

BodyofKnowledgeLifeScienceNatureofSciencePhysicalScience

BigIdeaOrganizationandDevelopmentofLivingOrganisms.ThePracticeofScience

StandardsSC.K.N.1.1Collaboratewithapartnertocollectinformation.SC.K.N.1.4Observeandcreateavisualrepresentationofanobject.SC.8.G.5.2Describetheimpactofhumanmodificationsontheenvironmentandecosystems.SC.912L.17.16Discussthelarge-scaleenvironmentalimpactsresultingfromhumanactivity.

Benchmarks:


Backgroundcorals need clear, warm, shallow water unclouded by sediment, plankton or seaweed. Ifallowedtothrive,coralreefsformimmensehabitatsforotherspecies.

Coralreefsareestimatedtobesomeofthemostvaluableanddiverseecosystems intheworld,supportingabout2millionspecies.Floridaishometoseveralreefsystems,includingafossilizedreef,oneofonlytwoworld-wide, inCrandonParkonKeyBiscayne,andthethirdlargest barrier reef system in the world, extending 150 miles from Soldier Key to the DryTortugas.SomespeciesfoundonSouthFloridareefsincludeseaturtles,lobster,nursesharks,eels,andavastarrayof colorful fish.Likethepolypsand theirzooxanthellae,manyofthesespeciesalsodisplaysymbioticrelationships:somecoralshaveshrimpandcrabsthatliveintheirbranches,defendingthecoralfrompredatorswhilethecoralprovidesshelter.Otherfishhideamongthetentaclesof jellyfish,baitingthetrapforother fishwhileeatingthe leftovers. Thebiodiversityofthereefisconsideredthekeytofindingbreakthroughcuresforcancer,arthritis,human bacterial and viral infections and other diseases. Healthy reefs provide goods andecological services to local economies through tourism, fishing, recreation, and otherbusinesses, contributing an estimated $7.6 billion in Florida alone. Coral reefs also buffercoastal shores from wave action, reducing erosion and storm damage as well as protectingharborsandports.

Despite their importance, the globe’s coral reefs formonly 1% of the entiremarineenvironment, an area about the size of France, and an estimated 80% are endangered orthreatened.2Manyofthesethreatsarehuman-caused,stemmingfromoverfishing,destructivefishingpracticesliketrawling,groundingoroverfishing,collectingforaquariums,dredgingandother coastal impacts, scarring from motorboat propellers and anchors, warmer waterstemperaturesduetoglobalwarming,andeven lackofawarenessandappreciation.Howeverthe most significant threat to coral reefs is land-based pollution from runoff, litter, coastaldevelopment,agriculture,sewagetreatment,leakingfuels,andpetroleumspills.Scientistshaverecently discovered that a chemical commonly found in sunscreen and other lotions,benzophenone-2 or BP-2, can kill juvenile corals. This continued damage is causing coralbleaching, or the loss of the zooxanthellae, which leaves and the coral turns white. Thoughcoralcansurviveableachingevent,theyaremorevulnerabletostressandsubjecttomortality.

Actionstotaketoprotectvaluablecoralreefsinclude:don’tbuyortakehomecorals,asitisillegaltodoso;lookforcoral-safelabelsonsunscreenandotherbeautyproducts;keepbeachescleanandreducehouseholdchemicalandpesticideusebecausealldrainsleadtothesea; throw back small fish when fishing in accordance with law, be careful that the anchordoesn’tdamagethereef,andkeeponlywhatyouaregoingtoeat;practicegoodstewardshipby reducing freshwateruse, recycling, and educatingotherson resources like theCoral ReefProtection Act, the South Florida Coral Reef Initiative, and the Florida Keys NationalMarineSanctuary. By takingaction toprotect coral reefsnow, this valuable ecosystemwill continueprovidingvaluableenvironmental,medicalandeconomicservicesforfuturegenerations.

SupplementalResources1-CoralReefConservationProgram.NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration.http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/corals/coral11_protecting.html2-“CoralsandCoralReefs.”OceanPortal.SmithsonianNaturalMuseumofNaturalHistory.http://ocean.si.edu/corals-and-coral-reefs3-VirtualTour:TheCoralReefHabitat.OdysseyEarth.hkp://www.odysseyearth.com/videos/the-coral-reef-habitat/

Vocabulary:

CoralPolyps:Tinysoft-bodiedorganismsthatexcreteaprotectivecalciumcarbonateexoskeletonthataccumulatestoformcoralreefs.

Zooxanthellae:Amicroscopicalgaelivinginsidecoralpolyps,lendingthemtheircolorandprovidingsomeenergythroughphotosynthesis.

CoralReef:Aformationoftheskeletalremainsandlivingcoralbuiltupoverthousandsofyearstoformanelaborateecosystem.

SymbioticRelationship:Whentwoorganismsformarelationshipthatcanbebeneficialtoboth(mutualism)oronlyone(parasitism).

CoralBleaching:Thelossofthecolorfulzooxanthellaeduetoenvironmentalstress,leavingonlythetranslucentcoralpolypsthatappearwhiteorbleached.Itisimportanttorememberthatbleachedcoralisnotyetdead.

Biodiversity:Thevarietyoflifesurvivinginanecosystemorhabitat.


CoralReefBrochureMaterials

• Writingpaperfordrafts• Whiteorconstructionpaperforbrochures• Coloringutensils(coloredpencils,markers,orcrayons)• Pensorpencils

Procedure

1. Dividestudentsintogroupsoffourandexplainthateachwillbedesigninganeduca,onalbrochureofthecoralreef.Showanexampleofabrochuresotheyunderstandthefoldedlayout.

2. Eachbrochureshouldanswersomeofthefollowingques,ons:-Whatisacoral? -Whatisacoralreefandwherecantheybefound?-Whatanimalsliveonthecoralreef?-Whyarecoralreefsimportant?-Whatthreatensthecoralreefsandhowcanweprotectthem?

3. Membersofthegroupmaywanttodividetheques,ons,andeachwriteadraloftheirresponsebeforecombiningeveryone’ssec,ontoformtheirfinalbrochure.

4. Eachgroupshouldillustratetheirbrochureandpresentittotheclass.Encouragediscussioncomparingandcontras,ngtheinforma,onelaborated,askingstudentswhytheyfindcoralsandotherreeforganismsinteres,ngandimportant.

WorksheetAnswerKey

1. Figure1showsableachingevent,Figure2showsahealthyreef.2. Answersmayvary:Figure1showsableachedreef,withveryfewfisharounda

colorlessreef,whilefigure2demonstratesmanyinteractingfishspeciesswimmingandshelteringamongstmanyspeciesofcolorful,healthycoralreef.

3. Itisimportanttoprotectcoralreefsfrombleachingbecausetheyformthefoundationofanecosystem,andtheirlosscausesadevastatingspeciesloss.

4. EcosystemJellyfishAnemonesPolypsZooxanthellaeSymbioticStructureFoodShelterHumansFishingTourismCleanFootprint

CoralPolyp:Tinysoft-bodiedorganismsrelatedtoseaanemonesthatexcreteaprotectivecalciumcarbonateexoskeletonthataccumulatestoformcoralreefs.

CoralReef:Aformationoftheskeletalremainsandlivingcoralbuiltupoverthousandsofyearstoformanelaborateecosystem.

CoralBleaching:Thelossofthecolorfulzooxanthellaeduetoenvironmentalstress,leavingonlythetranslucentcoralpolypsthatappearwhiteorbleached.

Havestudentsresearchtheirfavoritereeforganism.Eachstudentwillprepareabriefdescriptionoftheorganism,avisualrepresentation,andexplainwhytheythinktheirchosenorganismisinterestingandimportant.

Havestudentscompletethecoralreefworksheetafterclass.Havethemwriteaparagraphintheirjournalcomparingthreatsandprotectivemeasuresofcoralreefstothoseofothermarineecosystemsthey’vestudied.

ExtensionActivity:

Assessment:

Vocabulary:

ProgramPartner:


MSCP

CoralReefs

4.Acoralreefisa___________________,aplacewhereorganismslivetogether.Thereef is made of coral, tiny animals related to __________________ and_________________. Individual coral are called_________________and insideeachlivesamicroscopicalgaecalled____________________.Thesetwoorganismshavea_______________relationship, as they both help each other to survive. Corals buildlarge____________ofthereefastheygrow,providing___________and__________to many diverse organisms. Coral reefs are also important to ______________,helpingreduceerosion,providingmedicinalcures,andsupportingthe_____________and____________industries.Wecanhelpprotectthiscriticalhabitatbykeepingthebeach _____________, using only coral-safe sunblock, and reducing our carbon____________bywalkingorbikinginsteadofdriving.Wecanalsoprotectcoralreefsbyeducatingotherstoprotectthisimportantecosystemforfuturegenerations.

Coralreefsareimportanthabitatsthatarecurrentlyendangeredaroundtheworld.Theyfacemanythreatsincludingoverfishingandpollutionwhicharecausingcoralbleaching.Coralbleachingiswhenthecoralpolyplosestheircolorfulandhelpfulzooxanthellaefrominsidetheirstomachs,leavingthemwhiteinappearance.Coralbleachingoccurswhenthecoralisstressedorindangerandaffectstherestofthecoralreefecosystem.

WordBankFoodEcosystemJellyfishFootprintZooxanthellaeStructuresCleanAnemones Symbio,cPolypsTourismShelterHumansFishing

Figure1

Figure2

Answerthefollowingques1onsusingthefiguresontheright:

1.Whichofthefiguresshowsacoralbleachingeventandwhichshowsahealthyreef?___________________________________________________________________________________________

2.Whataresomeofthedifferencesbetweenthefigures?____________________________________________________________________________________

3.Judgingfromthefigures,whyisitimportanttopreventcoralbleaching?______________________________________________________________________________________________________