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Coral Reefs

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Importance of Coral Reefs. 0.2% of world's oceans. Habitat for 1/3 of marine fishes ... that affect corals and coral reefs? Hurricanes. Tsunamis. Volcanoes ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Coral Reefs


1
Coral Reefs
http//ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ mccarty_
and_peters/coral/C-intro.htm
http//tools.coralreef.org/content/ objects/view.a
cs?object_id545
2
Importance of Coral Reefs
  • 0.2 of worlds oceans
  • Habitat for 1/3 of marine fishes
  • Habitat for tens of thousands of other animals
  • The rainforests of the oceans

3
Importance of Coral Reefs
  • PROTECTION TO COASTLINES
  • ECONOMIC RESOURCES
  • BIODIVERSITY
  • NATURAL BEAUTY

4
Importance of Coral Reefs
  • PROTECTION TO COASTLINES
  • absorb energy of ocean waves
  • reduce erosion of shoreline
  • storm damage
  • flooding

5
Importance of Coral Reefs
  • ECONOMIC RESOURCES
  • Fisheries for food
  • Fisheries for jobs
  • Tourism
  • Building materials
  • Aquarium trade

6
Importance of Coral Reefs
  • BIODIVERSITY
  • The rainforests of the sea
  • Genetic diversity
  • Pharmaceuticals

7
Importance of Coral Reefs
  • NATURAL BEAUTY

http//sustainableseas.noaa.gov/missions/ florida2
/background/coralspawning.html
8
375 billion in environmental goods and
services Reefs at Risk 1998 (http//www.wri.org/p
owerpoints/reefswww/sld011.htm
9
Caribbean reef values(annual net benefits in
2000)
  • Fisheries 310 million
  • Dive tourism 2.1 billion
  • Shoreline protection 0.7-2.2 billion
  • Total 4.1-4.6 billion

10
REEFS WORLDWIDE ARE THREATENED
  • 11 of reefs have been lost
  • 16 of reefs severely damaged
  • 60 of studied reefs threatened by human
    activities
  • No pristine reefs left

11
CARIBBEAN REEFS DECLINING
  • 1970s 50 coral cover
  • Present 10 coral cover
  • 80 reduction in coral cover over last 30 years

Gardner et al. 2003 Science 301 958-960
12
Threats to coral and coral reefs
  • 1) Natural
  • 2) Anthropogenic
  • of human origin

13
Natural disturbances that affect corals and coral
reefs?
  • Hurricanes
  • Tsunamis
  • Volcanoes
  • Earthquakes
  • Predators competitors
  • Bleaching
  • Pathogens

14
Hurricanes
  • Physical damage
  • Smothering

http//www.nhc.noaa.gov/ 1989hugo.html
  • Freshwater poisoning
  • Destruction of other ecosystems upon
  • which coral reefs depend

15
Tsunamis
  • Physical damage
  • Erosion
  • Possible disruption of reproduction and
    recruitment

16
Volcanoes
  • Depends upon where volcano occurs
  • Heat
  • smothering and sedimentation

http//volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/ current_volcs
/montserrat/montserrat.html
17
Earthquakes
  • Little direct impact
  • Indirect impacts
  • triggers tsunamis
  • coastal landslides

18
Predators
  • crown of thorns starfish
  • snails
  • parrotfish
  • butterflyfish

http//www.aims.gov.au/pages/reflib/ cot-starfish/
pages/cot-q07.html
http//www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/pgallery/pgflo
wer/living/fg_living.html
19
Competitors
  • algae

http//catbert.er.usgs.gov/african_dust/algae.html
20
Bleaching
  • Loss of zooxanthellae
  • causes
  • higher than usual ocean temperature
  • sharp changes in salinity
  • heavy UV light exposure

http//ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ mccarty_
and_peters/coral/Bleach.htm
21
http//orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/orad/coral_bleach
ing_index.html
22
Pathogens
  • Diseases on the rise
  • new pathogens (8)
  • land pathogens (Aspergillus)
  • occurring at all depths
  • More susceptible when stressed

http//ourworld.compuserve.com/ homepages/mccarty_
and_peters/ coral/Bbd.htm
23
Threats to coral and coral reefs
  • 1) Natural
  • 2) Anthropogenic
  • of human origin

24
Anthropogenic threats to coral reefs
  • Overfishing
  • Development
  • Mining and dredging
  • Recreation

25
Overfishing
  • Ecological imbalance

http//www.photolib.noaa.gov/reef/reef2570.htm
http//tools.coralreef.org/content/objects/view.ac
s?object_id545
26
Overfishing
  • Ecological imbalance

http//catbert.er.usgs.gov/african_dust/events.htm
l
27
Overfishing
  • Destructive fishing practices

http//oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/coral/coral5.h
tm
http//www.wri.org/indictrs/rrcyanid.htm
28
Development
  • Sediment ? smothering
  • Freshwater input
  • Pollutants nutrients (sewage,
    pesticides, fertilizer, heavy metals, pathogens)

29
Development
http//www.wcmc.org.uk/marine/data/coral_mangrove/
coral.danger.html
http//ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mccarty_a
nd_peters/coral/c-intro.htm
30
Development
http//www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/scied/science/
habitat/influences.html
31
Mining for construction materials and dredging
  • Destruction of reef structure
  • stirs up sediment

32
Recreation
  • Anchors, boats, flippers, hands, feet
  • Kill animal tissue
  • Skeleton breakage

http//www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/scied/science/
habitat/influences.html
33
Synergistic effects
  • interaction of natural changes human activity
  • multiple insults

34
Global climate change
  • Reduced reef building
  • Increase in frequency and intensity of hurricanes
  • Increases in bleaching
  • Increased in disease

35
Synergistic effects
CORAL DOMINATED ALGAL DOMINATED
36
JAMAICA
OVERFISHING HURRICANE ALLEN 1980 ACROPORA DIE-OFF
1980S DIADEMA DIE-OFF 1983
37
JAMAICA
MORE ALGAE NO GRAZERS LESS CORAL PHYSICAL
DAMAGE ALGAL DOMINATED
SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS
38
BUCK ISLAND, ST. CROIX
PROTECTION SINCE 1961 ACROPORA DIE-OFF
1980S DIADEMA DIE-OFF 1983 HURRICANE HUGO
1989 HURRICANES MARILYN/LUIS 1995
39
BUCK ISLAND, ST. CROIX
PROTECTION LITTLE OVERFISHING DISEASE PHYSICAL
DAMAGE CORAL DOMINATED
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