Coral

The Great Barrier Reef is a coastal habitat off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The system is the largest coral reef and living structure in the world, reaching around 2,575 in length. It’s made up of approximately 2,900 individual reefs with 900 islands. The Great Barrier Reef is the perfect habitat for many species of marine life such as coral and over one thousand five hundred species of fish. The reef contains many different life forms such as: fish, sea turtles, giant clams, sea snakes,…

The Reef is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 215 species of birds, 30 species of dolphins and whales, 133 varieties of sharks and rays, 600 plus types of soft and hard corals, 14 species of sea snakes, and six of the world’s seven marine turtle species. (“The Facts”). “The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was created in 1975 through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act” (“Great Barrier Reef”). “Most of the Reef is part…

Rhyme and Reason Climate change is a hot topic at this point in time and has been for many years. The dying of large amounts of coral is one of the consequences of climate change and the main topic discussed in Elizabeth Kolbert’s “Unnatural Selection”. Kolbert’s influences the readers to care about climate change through her use of unusual introductory, pathos, ethos, logos, and her omission of and opposing argument. Unlike many essays, Elizabeth Kolbert does not begin hers with the…

McAlfred III, Alfred for short, the cleaner shrimp was talking to his classmate Bobbie, who is also a cleaner shrimp. All throughout the school day Bobbie was bragging about how she was so much smarter than Alfred because she knew so much about the coral reef and how all the different organisms interact. This did not make Alfred happy so he went to ask his wise grandfather, Alfred Gregory McAlfred Senior, about how all of these things work so that he could could prove to Bobbie that she was not…

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is found off the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia, in the Coral Sea of the Pacific Ocean. Scientists believe that the coral reef structure was formed 60,000 years ago, but deteriorated due to climate & sea level changes. However, the coral reefs grew over the old structure. The current GBR is about 6,000 - 8,000 years old. The reef’s abiotic factors include sunlight, soil, water, climate, & temperature. It has a tropical climate & two distinct seasons,…

these symbiotic relationships to take place. Bacteria is an often seen symbiont to other animals for its ability to provide nutrients, camouflage, and light, among other beneficial contributions. One way bacteria supply these benefits can be seen in coral reefs, where bacteria are capable of fixing…

unintentional marine animal helpers that maintain the health of their coral reefs. They prove themselves worthy of being protective, since “They are a fundamental link in marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral reefs and seagrass beds”(WWF). Even with being a maintainer of the health of the coral reefs around them, it is apparently not a big enough reason to not be hunted. Hawksbills are a huge help to their coral reefs and grass beds because of their habit of eating sponges.…

A) What is a coral reef? Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems that are formed by many small animals called polyps, which through their ability to excrete calcium form the limestone skeleton that they live on. As coral reefs grow they can take on three structures fringing, barrier or atoll. The Reef located along the Queensland coastline is called the Great Barrier Reef as it is separated from the shoreline by a section of deep open water. Over many years hard coral polyps form reef structures…

Coral Reefs One of the world’s most species rich and bio diverse ecosystems are the tropical coral reefs. Emmysarus, a staff writer/ blogger for Scribol stated in their article “The World’s Most Endangered Ecosystems: Coral Reefs, “Unfortunately, areas which are home to the richest biodiversity often suffer from the greatest amount of damage and disruption”. These “rainforests of the sea” are home to thousands of species of fish and invertebrates that live among the hundreds of different and…

destruction of coral reefs was another crucial part. The oil not only floated on the surface of the ocean, but also precipitated down to the deep-sea area. The coral reefs, the important deep ocean habitats, were covered by the sediment of oil, and they were seriously damaged. By analyzing the flocculent precipitate covered on the corals, it was proofed that the sediment was consistent with the petroleum hydrocarbon compounds in the oil. The scientists then concluded that the large area damage…