Introduction

This field trip is to the Great Barrier Reef

1. First we are going to learn about what coral is


2. Second we are going to learn about the different types of coral


3. Third we are going to look at where coral is located and why it is located in that certain area. And where the Great Barrier Reef is.

4. Fourth we are going to learn about what coral eats.


5. Fifth we are going to learn about some of the main animals that live in the coral


6. The food chain within the coral, the biggest predator.


7. What is happening to the Great Barrier Reef?

What is Coral?

This is an image of some coral. Coral can come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes, and doesnt always look like the coral in the image above. Before reading on, what do you notice about this coral at first glance? I bet you didnt know that corals are tiny animals, called polyps, that are related to and look like sea anemones. Each coral secretes a stony cup of limestone around itself as a skeleton. The polyps divide as they grow and form coral colonies. As the coral colonies build up on top of each other, they gradually form a coral reef. That is how the Great Barrier Reef was formed, it only has to start with one. What is different about corals skeleton, and our skeleton? and why do you think that protects them from their surroundings?

Different types of coral

There are about 3700 species of coraL, but to be a little more specific there are 7 different types that every species of coral fit into. They are Lettuce, Finger, Elkhorn, Staghorn, Star, Fan, Brain. But to be even more specific all these corals are either hard coral, or soft coral. Hard corals, or reef building corals, produce a rock like skeleton made of calcium carbonate. Where soft coral does not produce the hard calcified skeleton of many reef-building corals. However, soft corals do produce smaller amounts of calcium carbonate that help them keep their shape. Soft corals look like colorful plants as well. The two images above are both types of hard coral. The top one is star coral, and the bottom one is brain coral. How are these corals similar and how are they different? What makes them a hard coral and not a soft coral? Why do you think these corals have the names they do?

more coral!

From the facts you learned about the previous posting, how would you compare and contrast these two different types or coral, which on is soft coral, and which one is hard coral and why?

Where is the Great Barrier Reef?

The Great Barrier Reef is located off of the coast of Australia. It is also the largest coral reef in the world. It is over 1,257 miles long. Coral reefs are normally in shallow, warm water, usually near land, and mostly in the tropics. Coral prefer temperatures between 70 and 85 ° F. There are coral reefs off the eastern coast of Africa, off the southern coast of India, in the Red Sea, and off the coasts of northeast and northwest Australia and on to Polynesia. There are also coral reefs off the coast of Florida, USA, to the Caribbean, and down to Brazil. What can you see in the images of the great barrier reef? Why do you think they form in shallow water?

coral eats?

This image about is of coral eating jelly fish. Not all coral can do that, especially not the hard corals, its normally just the soft corals.



When you think of Coral you dont normally think that its and animal, I knew when I fist learned about coral I thought it was a cool kind of rock. Then when you find out its an animal, that a lot of times has a very hard skeleton on the outside of it, you probably wouldn't think that it eats any food. But if you really think about it, its a living organism, and all living organisms need to get nutrition from somewhere. Many corals are passive feeders on plankton. Most corals also get nutrition from microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) living within their tissue. It lives in their tissue to give it nutrition and energy to build their skeleton. Coral polyps are generally nocturnal feeders and are provided sugars made by their photosynthetic zooxanthellae during the day.They must therefore live in shallow clear water to allow sunlight to reach the algae. What do coral, and plants that don't live in the water have in common? What do you think happens to coral that doesnt get a lot of sunlight?

Animals in the Great Barrier Reef

The three images about are of some different animals you can find hanging out in the coral reef. One is a puffer fish, the second is a fish called a John Dory, and the third image is of brittle star.


The Great Barrier Reef is among the most complex ecosystems on the planet, providing habitat for a stunning variety and number of species. there are 1500 species of marine fish, 360 species of hard corals, 600 species of echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers), 500 species of seaweed, 400 species of sponges, a variety of marine mammals (whales, dolphins, dugongs), 6 species of marine turtles, 125 species of sharks. From what you learned about why the coral reef is where it is, what has to be special about these animals? Why can all animals live in the Great Barrier Reef? The images above are just some different kinds of fish and animals that live in the Great Barrier Reef.

The food chain in the Great Barrier Reef

The various types of seaweed, coral and sponges provide feeding grounds for starfish, mollusks, and small fish. Larger fish in the Great Barrier Reef Australia, as well as 23 different species of marine mammals consider these small fish an excellent meal. Major predators like the whitetip or tiger shark then prey upon these larger mammals, with the byproducts serving to nourish coral and sponges, bringing the Great Barrier Reef food chain full circle. There are also animals that feed off of coral. The most important predators of corals is the Pacific Ocean’s Crown of Thorns Sea Star. It is estimated that a single Crown of Thorns Sea Star can eat from 2 to 6 square meters (6 to 20 square feet) of corals per year. Many fish species such as parrotfish, butterfly fish and tangs also include corals as part of their diet. How can you relate the food chain of the great barrier reef to the food chain that we are in. How can we be somewhat related to sharks in our food chain?

Whats happening to the great barrier reef now?

Like i said before, coral reefs are on of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on this earth. Coral reefs are also home to as many as one quarter of the world’s marine species. Coral Reefs are important to us, because they provide us with many jobs, like fishing or tourism. Coral Reefs also help by protecting their coast lines from storms. Even though coral reefs are one of the most beautiful ecosystems, they are also one of the most delicate. The slightest touch from divers or surfers can significantly damage the delicate coral polyps. They are very susceptible to human impact, from fishing to boat anchors dropping on it. We learned before that coral gets a lot of its energy from sunlight, and now one of the main things that it blocking the sunlight of theirs is pollution. Water is becoming more polluted all over the world, and is effecting the coral reefs to an extreme amount. Humans are one of the main things that effect the coral reefs, but it is every harder for reefs to recover after an natural disaster, like hurricanes or earthquakes. Do you think there is anything we can do to help the coral reefs?

Conclusion

The Great Barrier Reef is very important, to our environment. It is a home for many different fish, and it provides many jobs. At each of the stops you have learned something different about coral, the great barrier reef, or the animals in it. At the end of each stop i asked you a few question, I now want you to answer these questions by writing a 2 page double spaced paper. This paper should not only include the answers to the questions, but also your thoughts about them. And the very last question about what you think you can do for the coral reef, pretend you were granted 100,000 dollars towards it. What would you do?

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