Coral Reefs

By Harsha Lakamsani

Introduction

• Coral Reefs are made of limestone structures of dead and living stony coral• Coral polyps are formed by red and

green coralline algae• Coral gets color from zooxanthellae• Found all over the world

Animals of the Coral ReefAnenomefish

Blacktip reef sharkBrain Coral

Carpet AnenomeGiant ClamParrotfish

Pharoah cuttlefishSquarespot

Staghorn coralPlankton

Yellow-headed jawfishZebra morayZebra shark

Etc.

Plants of the Coral Reef

• Seagrass• Seaweed• Mangroves• Sea lettuce• Algae• Zooxanthellae• Benthic diatoms

About Coral Reefs

• Water in the reef is 68° to 82°F (20° - 28°C)• Reefs are found on eastern shores of land• Reefs usually develop in areas with lots of

wave action because of incoming nutrients• Waves also prevent sediment from falling on

reefs• Reefs need calcium (calcium becomes

limestone) to form and thrive

Biotic Factors

• Animals– Sharks, Fish, Eels, Corals, Anenomes,

Plankton, Etc.

• Plants–Seagrasses, Seaweeds, Mangroves, Sea

Lettuce, Algae, Etc.

Abiotic Factors

• Rocks• Dead Coral• Limestone • Water• Sunlight• Temperature• pH• Etc.

Famous Locations

• Great Barrier Reef• Red Sea Coral Reef• New Caledonia Barrier Reef• Mesoamerican Barrier Reef• Florida Reef• Andros Coral Reef• Zhongsha Islands

Map• Red dots = Coral Reefs

Producers

• Photosynthetic Autotrophs– Phytoplankton– Coralline algae– Filamentous turf algae– Zooxanthellae in corals– Seaweed– Etc.

Prey in the Coral Reef• Consumers (primary and secondary)

– Zooplankton– Invertabrate larvae– Benthic grazers– Few corals– Few crabs– Sea urchins– Green sea turtles– Herbivorous fish– Plankton feeders– Corallivores– Benthic invertebrate feeders– Piscivores– Etc.

Predators

• Carnivores (secondary and tertiary consumers)– Plankton feeders– Corallivores– Benthic invertebrate feeders– Piscivores– Sharks– Barracudas– Moray eels– (If present): Dolphins, Seals, Sea birds

Food Chains

• Zooxanthellae (on coral) -> Corallivores -> Parrotfish -> Moray eels• Zooplankton -> Fish (ex: triggerfish) -

> Piscivores -> Seals -> Sharks• Seaweed -> Parrotfish -> Snappers

Pictures of Coral Reefs

Videos of Coral Reefs

Interesting Facts

• Make up about 0.2% of total area on Earth• House tens of thousands of marine

species• Usually located at a depth of 150 feet• Deepest locations at a depth of 450 feet• One of the settings of Pixar’s Finding

Nemo

Fin.