Ningaloo Reef Marine Ecosystem 1. Identify ten organisms from your chosen ecosystem and draw a food web to show trophic interactions between them. Within this food web, you must include and label a decomposer. Ten organisms that live in the Ningaloo Reef include the bottlenose dolphin, loggerhead turtle, tiger shark, whale shark, Southern Calamari squid, jellyfish, zooplankton, dugong, phytoplankton and seagrass. The decomposer in this food web is bacteria, which works to further break down the dead organic matter in the bodies of plant and animal organisms.…
When the corals' health are in jeopardy, the health and overall well being of all the organisms that rely on them are at risk as well. Many organisms, along with their babies and eggs, will be exposed to predators if they do not have healthy coral reefs to depend on for shelter. Predators will have easier access to their prey if they are ever without a home, and this will result in a decline in population of the consumers lower in the trophic levels (little fish are wiped out, and predators overpopulate). If there were ever a decline in the prey population, all of the organisms higher up in the food chain would be killed off as well, since there wouldn't be enough food to keep the higher trophic levels healthy and…
Shark culling is a state government implemented policy in which sharks within the vicinity of a beach can be legally killed through shark nets or drumlines or a combination of the two. Drumlines are unmanned buoyant drums anchored one kilometre of a beach's shoreline. In between the drums are ropes with hooks. Drumlines are baited so that if a shark is swimming in the vicinity of a beach it would be attracted to the bait and not humans. Each state has different policies on drumlines depending on their state government.…
When the seawater becomes more acidic, the coral has a hard time rebuilding their calcium carbonate skeletons. If the water is too acidic, it will cause destruction among already preexisting…
This is a big problem because coral reefs have a vast diversity of species that utilize them to survive and is apart of a very intricate food…
For 16 years, scientists wondered just what had happened with corals in the Florida Keys. In this time period, over half of the corals had perished. They later discovered that the greatest decline was in elkhorn coral. Finally, research showed that the massive coral disappearances were caused by a disease by the name of white pox. The scientists have solved the elkhorn coral mystery using the scientific method - by making observations, conducting experiments, and drawing conclusions.…
The ocean is a emormous producer of oxygen. Marine organism produce over half the oxygen that we and animals have to breathe. The ocean provides 70% of the Earth's oxygen. It was produced by tiny little marine plants called phyoplankton. Phytoplanton was the main foundation for the oceanic food chain.…
Chemicals used in unsafe fishing practices like cyanide fishing. Dynamite fishing also stresses the corals significantly as well as bottom trawling. Coal mining also depletes the coral population. Besides being plucked to serve as souvenirs or pets, corals can also be mined for use in bricks and cement in new buildings. These irresponsible and ignorant practices must be stopped in order to save this very valuable ecosystem.…
Over many years hard coral polyps form reef structures that support a variety of marine life, these corals also known as reef-building corals found within the Great Barrier Reef include brain coral, staghorn coral and branching coral. In the tissues of these corals algae called Zooxanthellae live and provide the coral with important nutrients, while the coral provides the algae with a protected environment (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2017). B) What is ocean acidification, and how does it affect…
Topic B: Ocean acidification and coral reefs Introduction • Ocean acidification is a reduction in the pH of the water in the ocean as a result of increased carbon dioxide uptake in the ocean due to humans burning fossil fuels at such a high rate. • Unless drastic changes are made in regards to CO2 emissions, the rate of ocean acidification is projected to significantly increase over the next century. It is currently estimated that without any changes the pH of the oceans will be 7.8 by 2100 ( ). • Climate change and its negative impacts on… • List all points that will be discussed PARAGRAPH 1 - Ocean acidifications potential to affect coral (focus on individual coral colony) Ocean acidification alters a range of marine ecosystems by damaging foundation organisms, such as living corals.…
Long term records of coral calcification across the Central Great Barrier Reef show a 14.2% decline in calcification rates since 1990 (D’Olivo et al., 2013). Aragonite, a carbonate mineral considered a prerequisite for biotic calcification, is more easily dissolved when oceanic carbonate concentrations fall. According to a study published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, “since industrialization, global average atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by about 36%....and the aragonite saturation state has decreased by about 16%” (De’ath et al., 2009). With the decline in aragonite, many marine organisms are unable to produce their shells, making them more vulnerable to disease and death.…
Heart Reef The Heart Reef, in the Great Barrier Reef, is a beautiful organisation of coral and rocks naturally formed into the shape of a heart. The reef was created by hundreds of years of dead coral building up in a massive, underwater stone wall, which has then grown algae and new coral, which reproduces, dies and grows year by year. The Heart Reef is a beautiful array of stunning coral formations, naturally shaped into a heart.…
Storms accounted for an astounding 34% of coral mortality from 1995-2009. The most immediate impacts of severe weather events are coral breakage, dislocation, and degradation from the wind and waves. However, storms also bring increased nutrients and sediments which can cause disease outbreaks, algae smothering, and murky water preventing light from reaching the algae on the coral. In addition, freshwater run-off from floods reduces salinity levels of the ocean, causing coral bleaching. However, the most detrimental impact of severe weather events emerges three years after a flood.…
Waratah Anemone The Waratah sea anemone, Actinia tenebrosa is the most obvious anemone on Sydney's rocky shores, easily known by its red color. It is named after the beautiful red Waratah flower that is the emblem of New South Wales. The Waratah Anemone is named after the red Waratah Flower that is a native to New South Wales. It is also known as the Cherry Anemone.…
Increased ocean acidification isn’t the only thing affecting the ocean, but it is very problematic because it erodes aragonite which is a mineral of calcium carbonate. In other words it kills corals and causes the hard exoskeleton to erode. Action needs to be taken to ensure the survival of corals and the creatures that rely on coral reefs to survive. Coral reefs are sources of food for millions of people, but also are sources of medicines. As coral reefs disappear so do the organisms that are mutualistic to it.…