Scleractinia

Trophic Cascade: Effect of Hemigraspus sanguineus on Intertidal Food Chain Abstract Hemigraspus sanguineus (Asian crabs), an invasive species, are found in multitude on east coast and more precisely along the long island sound. The end goal of this experiment is to see what long term effect of having this invasive crab could have on other organisms in the tides, more specifically littorina littorea (periwinkle snails). This would be achieved by studying the interaction between Asian crabs, periwinkle snail, fucus and ulva. Introduction Hemigraspus sanguineus by large possesses the subtidal and intertidal rough shoreline, with a checked inclination for cobble shorelines. It has additionally been known to live on man-made structures, for example, seawalls and manufactured reefs, and can endure an extensive variety of water salinities and temperatures. H. sanguineus is a very astute omnivore that has been known to feast upon green growth, adolescent fish, snails, barnacles, and worms. Littorina littorea or commonly known as Periwinkles, are a substantial group of gastropod mollusks found on the shore. The edible snail is maybe the best-known types of this family, as it has been gathered and eaten for quite a long time as far as human history records (Emmerson 2013). The flat periwinkle grazes on detritus and microorganisms. It also feeds on green seaweeds such as sea lettuce (Ulva spp) and species of Enteromorpha (Clinchy 2016). Fucus distichus is a bounteous and prevailing…

Sixty genera of coral have a symbiotic relationship with the algae zooxanthellae. Only some deepwater and cold water corals can survive without them. This symbiotic relationship benefits both organisms,the zooxanthellae provides the coral with glycerol, glucose and alanine and the coral provides the zooxanthellae with nitrogen and protection against predators. The degree to which the organisms depend on one another vary between species. The zooxanthellae algae gives the coral a yellow-brown or…

The purpose of this article highlights the uses of natural substances and organism to restore marine tropical coral reef system. Pertaining to the article, the coral reef system is complex and hard to reconstruct without altering the physical conditions and species that rely on it. As this study states, many of the causes for the loss of the coral reefs may be due to natural environmental factors such as the temperature changes but other causes are human influenced, such as tourisms near coral…

Coral reefs provide nearly $30 billion each year in net benefits in goods and services to world economies, including, tourism, fisheries and coastal protection, but that number could diminish greatly very soon (Cesar et al. 2003). In fact, 30% of coral reefs are at risk of being lost in about the next thirty years. Millions depend on coral reefs for nutrition and income, and if the coral reefs suffer, it is very likely that people who rely on coral reef ecosystems will suffer as well.…

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…

The book, Coral Reefs, by Simon Rose, presents that categories of coral reefs, what coral reefs are home to, and the dangers that they may face. Coral reefs are made up of coral polyps that attach and multiply to a limestone skeleton called a calicle. Coral reefs are categorized in three ways, which is by their type. 1. Fringed reef, 2. Barrier reef, 3. Atolls. The fringed reef either borderers the shore near a lagoon, or it will be directly attached, next is the barrier reef. The barrier reef,…

The corals that make reefs around the world may look like one giant organism but they’re actually some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, with many small features working together to support a variety of marine life. They are typically found in warm, shallow waters of tropical environments, especially in the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of jellyfish-like animals called polyps, connect together to form colonies. These colonies host algae, that provide corals with food, as well as their…

According to “Scitable”, over “1 billion people depend on food from coral reefs, and reefs as a whole might be worth around $172 billion for every year they continue to provide essential services to humans, like food.” Humans get these food sources from coral reefs through fishing. Another physical thing that we can get from coral reefs is medicine. Because coral reefs contain lots of good chemicals and fungi that can be turned into medicine, they are a great source for many diseases. Examples…

Did you know that the Great Barrier Reef is main contributor to the Australian Economic, contributing $6.4 billion a year! Many Australians believe a price cannot be placed on the Great Barrier Reef, resulting in it being Priceless! The Reef is one of the top tourist attractions in Australia, with a $56 billion value along with $3.2 billion for recreational use. Why do the Australian’s, tourist and the economic value of Australia Need the $56 billion reef? Just to name a few reasons why: 1. The…

When coral gets stressed, they expel all the algae that provides it with about 90% of its energy, in a state of near death. Instead of the bright pink or yellow, or whatever bright color the coral originally was, it turns to a pale chalky white. If whatever is causing the coral to stress out continues, like the water is still too warm, it starts to starve and dies. If whatever is causing them stress goes away after a little while, it is possible for the coral to come back and regain their…