Works Cited
Coral Bleaching
Currently, coral reefs around the world
are under the threat of extinction. Rising
carbon dioxide levels, thanks to human
activity, have caused unusually high
global temperatures and ocean
acidification. High temperatures in
shallow water cause a decrease in the
population of microscopic algae in corals
responsible for producing their food
(zooxanthellae). This is called coral
bleaching, and it occurs as the
temperature levels rise due to increased
light exposure. If it is severe, it can kill
off thousands of colonies. Acidification of
the ocean water happens when the level
of carbon dioxide rises. Molecules of
carbon dioxide combine with carbonate
ions and create large amounts of carbonic
acid. The combination leaves fewer ions
for corals to make their skeletons.
Reefs all over the world are dissolving
into acid. Below is a picture of a healthy
fire coral compared with a bleached fire
coral. It is now void of all color and sits
on the ocean floor as the remains of a
once beautiful ecosystem. If interested, it
is recommended to donate to the Coral
Reef Alliance if you plan on vacationing
near a coral reef. Give back to the beauty
before it is too late.
“Coral Reef Animals.” Coral Reef Animals | Animal Life of The Coral
Reef, www.coral-reef-info.com/coral-reef-animals.html.
“Coral Reefs.” Coral Reefs - MarineBio.org,
marinebio.org/oceans/coral-reefs/.
“Coral Reefs | Planet Earth: Blue Planet II.” BBC America,
www.bbcamerica.com/shows/planet-earth-blue-planet-
ii/season-1/episode-03-coral-reefs.
“Coral Bleaching.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. 2018,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_bleaching.
“Food Chains/ Food Webs.” The Mesoamerican Coral Reef,
mesoamericanreef.weebly.com/food-chains-food-
webs.html.
Frost, Emily. “Corals and Coral Reefs.” Ocean Portal | Smithsonian,
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, 28
Feb. 2018, ocean.si.edu/corals-and-coral-reefs.
Frostenson, Sarah. “Experts: The Great Barrier Reef Cannot Be
Saved.” Vox, Vox, 18 Apr. 2017, www.vox.com/science-
and-health/2017/4/18/15272634/catastrophic-coral-
bleaching-great-barrier-reef-map.
“Global Coral Reef Partnership.” Ocean & Climate Initiatives
Alliance, ocean-climate-alliance.org/project/global-coral-
reef-partnership/.
“Home.” Coral Reef Alliance, coral.org/.
Jones, Adrian. “Coral Reefs and Climate Change - What Lives on a
Coral Reef - Teach Ocean Science.” Title Banner,
www.teachoceanscience.net/teaching_resources/education
_modules/coral_reefs_and_climate_change/what_lives_on
_a_coral_reef/.
Urry, Lisa A., et al. Campbell Biology in Focus. Pearson,
2018.
Marine
Coral Reefs
“Just look at the world around you
Ellie Parson Right here on the ocean floor
AP Biology, C Block ODD Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?”
- Sebastian, The Little Mermaid
2
3
1

 
    Under the Sea…
Coral reefs are found in many types of ocean waters; deep or shallow, cold or tropical. They are made from the
calcium carbonate skeletons or corals (Pearson, 829), are most common above depths of 230 feet, and prefer
temperatures around 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Coral reefs are extremely diverse, and are estimated to supply
food, shelter, and nutrients to a quarter of all ocean species. Despite their large importance in the ocean, they
cover less than a percent of the earth’s surface. Shallow reefs are primarily located in a clear photic zone near
tropical islands. Coral reefs need a solid substrate, such as a rock, to form. Once perched of a rock on a young
island, coral will form a barrier reef farther from the island as it grows. When the older island begins to fall under
the water, more coral will attach and grow.

Flora until they find a surface to attach to. Internal fertilization

As sun is the source of energy in the ecosystem of a
coral reef, there are many plants there to capture the
light. Phytoplankton, algae and other plants make
energy through photosynthesis. Outside of these
few organisms, there are not many types of flora in
coral reefs. Coral itself has a relationship with alga
that allows it to benefit from photosynthesis without
actually having the ability to carry out
photosynthesis itself.
Fauna
Despite their appearance, corals are animals
categorized under the phylum Cnidarian. They can
exist individually as a polyp, or in a group of
polyps. Polyps have a mouth at one end with
tentacles called nematocysts that trap small
organisms, such as zooplankton and small fish, to
eat. Corals are divided into two types, hand and soft
coral. Hard corals have a skeleton made of calcium
carbonate in a crystal structure called an aragonite.
Soft corals, on the other hand, do not have the
ability to produce calcium carbonate skeletons.
Corals can produce sexually and asexually. They
use a method called broadcast spawning to expel
large quantities of gametes, both eggs and sperm
depending on the sex of the coral, into the current in
vesicles that float to the surface. Fertilization occurs
outside the body, and the zygotes float in the water
Many invertebrates also occupy coral reefs as well.
can occur as well. A female coral contains a vesicle of
These creatures include sponges, mollusks, and
eggs within itself, and sperm from a male coral sinks into crustaceans. Sponges are immobile animals that feed
the polyps to fertilize the eggs. During asexual by filtering ocean water through their bodies. There
reproduction, budding or fragmentation can give rise to are three types of sea sponges in coral reefs: Vase,
new coral colonies. Corals usually have a mutual Tube, and Encrusting sponges. The name of each was
relationship with a unicellular alga called zooxanthellae. given due to the sponge’s shape. Echinoderms, better
The alga lives within the coral and gives the organic known to many as starfishes and sea urchins, play
material it makes through photosynthesis to the alga. important parts in the ecosystem of a coral reef.
Starfish eat mollusks and hard corals, while sea
Outside of alga and corals, there are a large variety of urchins are herbivores that eat grass. Both regulate
fishes and other marine animals that occupy marine coral populations of organisms in the area. Mollusks,
reefs. Sea snakes, creatures evolved from land snakes, including clams, gastropods, and cephalopods
have tails shaped as paddles and can be very venomous. (octopuses) are the reigning invertebrate species that
Multiple kinds of sea turtles are frequent visitors or dwell on the bottom of the coral reefs. Lobsters,
inhabitants of coral reefs. The most commonly shrimps, and other crustaceans move about the reefs as
recognized sea turtle, the Hawksbill turtle, feeds on scavengers, predators, or omnivores. Some serve as a
food source for fish. Below is a picture of the predator
many animals in the ecosystems provided by coral reefs
and prey relationships.
in the Caribbean. Manatees and Dugongs are large
mammal herbivores that feed on sea grasses. They
frequently visit the reefs, and were thought to be
residents before human activity altered their ecosystems.
Many types of fish take advantage of the coral reefs as a
feeding ground or permanent home. For example,
Clownfish have a symbiotic relationship with sea
anemones in coral reefs. Clownfish, unlike other fish, are
immune to the anemone’s poisonous tentacles. They live
in the anemone, and in exchange for protection from
predators, Clownfish eat invertebrates on the anemone
that could harm it.