Coral Reefs A marine biome By Paloma Cruz

Coral Reefs A marine biome By: Paloma Cruz and Lesnier Lazo

Description • Coral reefs are located in tropical oceans near the equator. • Coral reefs are held together by calcium carbonate structures secreted by corals. • They are built by tiny animals and vary in the size of colonies.

Abiotic Features • Sunlight • Temperature • Rock formations and geography • Oxygen levels in water • Natural disaster

Climate The amount of rainfall varies by the location of the reef. • The temperature cannot be below 64 degrees fahrenheit. • Temperature is usually in between 73 degrees and 84 degrees fahrenheit. •

Autotrophs: To the left Red algae. To the right Mangrove. To the left Zooxanthellae. To the right Benthic diatoms.

Autotrophs: Phytoplankton Kelp Turf algae

Heterotroph: To the left, sea snake To the right, Shrimp To the left, Sea star To the right,

Heterotrophs: Sea turtle Black tip shark Sea urchins Crab

Food web interactions • Sea sponges and other sessile organisms compete fiercely with other for space using physical and chemical warfare. • A predator-prey example in a coral reef is one with the tiger shark and green sea turtle. The tiger shark eats the sea turtle.

Food web interactions

Adaptations • Animal adaptations: They have a flat body in order to move around the coral. • They have bright colors that help them mate and camouflage. • Plant adaptations: They have larger cells that allow them to collect sunlight, they create many symbiotic relationships that help them survive.

Ecological issues & concerns • Activities such as overfishing, inland pollution, and global climate change are affecting coral reefs. • Careless boating, diving, and snorkeling are killing coral reefs. • One quarter of coral reefs worldwide are considered damaged beyond repair, the other two thirds are under serious threat.

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