...The rainforest of the sea, also known as the coral reefs, has a significant amount of marine species and organisms living in a small fraction of the ocean. They cover about 0.1 percent of the ocean’s surface and support more than 4,000 species of fish, 800 species of hard corals and hundred of other species (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA). This estimation of numbers does not include the unexplored parts of the coral reefs, and many scientists are trying to further explore this area. Based on research, scientists concluded that coral reefs are very sensitive to the type of environment they live in and due to natural occurrences and human activity the coral reefs are slowly dying. The dying of coral reefs detrimentally affects many of the species that rely on this area for food and shelter, which includes humans as well. However, who or what can we blame for this happening? The coral reefs for being too sensitive or humans for polluting the oceans? Coral reefs are highly sensitive to the...
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...Keys and not seeing the pristine coral reefs with thousands of fish forming a kaleidoscope of colors surrounding the reef. Then going about 150 miles northwest and just finding a monument telling the story of once,” great river of slow moving grass,” which used to flow in this semi-arid condominium filled part of Florida. These are not just part of concerned citizens and groups conservation active imagination these are ecological problems two of the greatest ecosystems in the world are facing today. Unless the United States and the State of Florida take steps to conserve coral reefs in the Florida Keys and restore the Florida Everglades today this is the reality of future generations. Coral Reefs Threats to coral reef are many, and the solution must be cohesive not scattered when addressing these threats. Implementing a cohesive ecosystem-based management approach is the key protecting the coral reefs from these threats. Ensuring a holistic and combined approach will support a healthy, living, resilient, coral reef. The methods used the Pacific Island coral reefs to preserve their ecosystems might not be the methods needed to meet the needs of the Florida Keys coral reef’s ecosystem. The different approaches necessary to maintain the varying community needs and address the local coral reef ecosystem is called a multidisciplinary approach. Multidisciplinary Approach The importance of a multidisciplinary approach to conserving the coral reefs of the Florida Keys cannot be under...
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...Northwestern University, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium Abstract Coral samples were obtained from Shedd Aquarium to investigate the symbiotic relationship between the corals and their zooxanthellae under environmental stress. The zooxanthellae DNA were extracted, amplified, and sequenced. The sequences were then analyzed using Sequencher 5.0 and BioEdit where they were aligned individually and then against other sequences found in previous literature research. The aligned sequences were run in Genbank using the BLAST function to identify the zooxanthellae at the subclade level. Further research into current literature was done with the best matched subclades to our sequences to further investigate the thermal resilience of the zooxanthellae. It was found that thylakoid membrane lipid compositions as well as lipid energy reserves are correlated to bleaching susceptibility. Clade D symbionts have higher lipid energy reserves, allotting for more thermal resilience in comparison to clade C as well as increased abundances in D symbiont types among reefs after bleaching events. Bleaching susceptibility was also found to have variation within clades. More research is needed to fully understand the coral-zooxanthellae relationship and acclimatization under stress. Introduction Coral reefs harbor over a fourth of all marine species and therefore are one of the most biologically diverse systems of the oceans (Gills, 2010). The coral community is comprised of a collection of biological communities...
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...Coral Fossils Coral fossils allow us to follow the earth’s history and understand what really happened all those years before man was created. Corals are part of a group of animals called Cnidaria. Cnidaria includes animals such as sea anemones, jellyfish, and hydras. These animals have tentacles or multiple arms that allow them to grab food floating around them. These corals have stinging tentacles. Scientists study many cnidarian fossils because there is an abundance of fossil records. These cnidarian fossils are soft-bodied corals and originate over 600 million years old. These fossils were first found in South Australia, but now been found in other places around the world. All of these fossils date back to the same age. * Cnidaria coral fossil found in Australia...
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...“Coral reefs are the most spectacular and diverse ecosystems on the planet. Complex and productive, coral reefs boast hundreds of thousands of species, many of which are undescribed by science. They are renowned for their beauty, biological diversity, and high productivity” (Hoegh-Guldburg 839). Global Warming and chemicals going into the ocean are causing coral to bleach. The coral reefs are dying causing fish to lose their habitat and wave action is becoming stronger. In order to correct the destruction created by globalization researchers are creating coral nurseries and replanting the coral, but the best option for the coral to survive, is to put a stop to global warming. Coral reefs have been shaping the ocean and its ecosystems for the...
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...international policies to help protect coral reefs? Section 1: Coral Reefs are an important ecosystem that our planet needs to function correctly. Coral is a living organism that forms in colonies which can stretch out for hundreds of miles long and are then called coral reefs. These coral reefs are habitats for a large number of marine species. There are about 600,000 km of coral reef worldwide (State of the Reefs). Most reefs today are about 8,000 years old, and there are records of some being as much as 2.5 million years old (Dimitrov). The ecosystems of coral reefs have the “largest (amount) biodiversity per unit of area on earth” (Dimitrov). Scientists have discovered 93,000 coral reef species; however some estimate that there could be from 950,000 to as much as 9 million different species of coral reef (Dimitrov). Coral reefs are the second largest ecosystem next to tropical rainforests on Earth. The deterioration of coral reefs is a huge warning sign for everyone internationally to implement more policies on coral reef conservation. The problem that is happening internationally is the deterioration of coral reefs. Coral reefs are one of the most endangered ecosystems worldwide. For the first time in history they will be included on the World Conservation Union’s red list of threatened species (Oliver). According to the United Nations Environment Program and the Nature Conservancy, “around 30 percent of the world's coral reefs are already damaged, some irreparably...
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...The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, is the largest living structure on the planet and it is in grave danger of dying. What can we do to save this amazingly beneficial ecosystem? Luckily, there are many things we can do, but we need to do it fast. Less and less attention has been generated through the years about the coral reef’s condition. Many organizations such as The World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, Citizens of The Great Barrier Reef, Australian Marine Conservation Society and The Great Barrier Reef Foundation, all are working to fight for the continuation of the reef’s life. There is nothing like this in the world today, it is one of a kind and we need to take huge steps forward, quickly and powerfully to save this beautiful...
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...Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Jeremy Jackson “Perhaps the most striking aspect of plant life on a coral reef is the general lack of it. It seems anomalous to even the casual observer that tropical reefs, notable for their dazzling profusion of animal life, are almost devoid of conspicuous plants.†Sylvia Earle, 1972 INTRODUCTION Sylvia Earle’s early observations upon Caribbean reefs describe a forgotten world. Caribbean coral reefs have suffered massive losses of corals since the early 1980s due to a wide range of human impacts including explosive human population growth, overfishing, coastal pollution, global warming, and invasive species. The consequences include widespread collapse of coral populations, increases in large seaweeds (macroalgae), outbreaks of coral bleaching and disease, and failure of corals to recover from natural disturbances such as hurricanes. Alarm bells were set off by the 2003 publication in the journal Science that live coral cover had been reduced from more than 50% in the 1970s to just 10% today. This dramatic decline was closely followed by widespread and severe coral bleaching in 2005, which was in turn followed by high coral mortality due to disease at many reef locations. Healthy corals are increasingly rare on the intensively studied reefs of the Florida reef tract, US Virgin Islands, and Jamaica. Moreover, two of the formerly most abundant species, the elkhorn coral Acropora palmata and staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis...
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...LIVING COASTAL RESOURCES OF THE ASEAN REGIONAND DATA REQUIREMENTS FOR THEIR MANAGEMENT SIGNIFICANCE OF LIVING COASTAL RESOURCES Living coastal resources are found within major coastal ecosystems consisting of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, benthic systems, and estuaries or lagoons. Coastal ecosystems, particularly estuaries and inshore marine waters have the highest rate of primary production as compared to terrestrial and oceanic regions. Daily gross production rate in terms of grams of dry organic matter per square metre area for the narrow coastal band ranges from 10 to 25, with all other regions having substantially lower values (2). The coastal band conveniently thought of as the transition area between land and sea, holdsthis great diversity of ecosystems, each characterized by its own unique ecological feature. Conditions here may be harsh with wide fluctuations in temperature and salinity, but because of the abundance of food supply, these areas can and do support a high diversity of species which have become efficiently adapted to the widely fluctuating environmental conditions. These ecosystems remain productive because of tidal action which circulates food and nutrients rapidly and efficiently and at the same time washes away waste materials. They also serve as efficient nutrient traps of the continuous nutrient input washed down from land. Within these ecosystems, the autotrophic and heterotrophic layers are maintained in close contact so that energy transfer...
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...A) Introduction: my task in this assignment is to investigate visitor attractions and visitors. I will use both books and websites to help with my research in this assignment. The aim of this assignment is to develop their understanding of the importance of both built and natural attractions to the appeal and popularity of destinations or areas within the UK and the world. b) A definition of visitor attraction: “A visitor attraction is a feature in an area that is a place, venue or focus of activities and does the following things: Sets out to attract visitors/ day visitors, Provides a fun and pleasurable experience, Is developed to realise this potential, Is managed as an attraction, Provides an appropriate level of facilities and services, May or may not charge an admission for entry”. (Walsh – heron and Stevens (1990) citied by Swarbrooke (2002) The term visitor attraction can be difficult to define because people can be easily confused as to the purpose of visitor attractions. Because many visitor attractions are different because some are either natural or manmade. Visitor attractions are classified by whether they are purposely built attractions, natural attractions or non-purpose built attraction C) London Eye: The London Eye is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually each year. The London eye is situated in central London and is become a landmark for...
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...Fiji Island is a “pearl” embedded in the South Pacific Ocean. With thick tropical trees shading the cool sands, white beaches glistening in the sun, and colored ocean water accompanying grotesque coral reefs and fish, you will be amazed by the vitality and brightness of Fiji, an island full of imagination. With an official language of English, Fiji welcomes tourists all around the world. Housing Fiji is a suitable place for water sports due to its island location: golf, scuba-diving, cross-country adventure, bamboo rafting, yacht cruising, etc. Fiji has a tropical marine climate which is warm year round, with an average temperature of 22 掳C, so the houses are wooden and ventilated to lower the temperature. Belief and Taboo Fiji people are...
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...one could envision ,and for example ”,the prairie ecosystem,”which would encompass a large, more or less self-sustaining, relatively flat and dry region in which perennial grasses were the dominant vegetation,characteristic native vertebrate animals were predominantly herbivores such as bis on and rodents, and the major shaping physical forces were fire,wind and extreme temperature fluctuations. If you're bored by prairie ecosystem,then of course you could envision a coral reef ecosystem,a desert ecosystem,or the most complicated ecosystem of all,the tropical forest ecosystem. In the absence of humane disturbance, ecosystem tend to remain stable for relatively long periods thousand of years. During most of Earths history, destruction resulted from global events,typically of geological origin,such as the drifting of continents and the rising and falling of ocean levels. The fossils record shows us that some,if not all,continents have experienced dramatic changes over the several hundred million years of their history. For example,Americas prairie ecosystem “bread basket”. The great plains,where most of our corn and...
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...Australian Marine Conservation Society Carly Angell University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Australia is a unique country full of different species of both land and sea creatures that are a part of its extremely diverse ecosystem. The Australian Marine Conservation Society, formally known as the Queensland Littoral Society, has worked for decades to defend the Great Barrier Reef against things like coral mining, oil drilling, overfishing, etc. It is also the only national charity in Australia that only works toward protecting the ocean wildlife. Without this nonprofit, who knows what would become of the Great Barrier Reef and its surrounding habitats. But before I talk about this extremely amazing nonprofit, a brief history on Australia will be given. Australia’s government is a variety of different governments from other countries such as British and U.S. governments. They have a Liberal Democratic government. Australia has one of the oldest democracies in the world. There are very little nonprofit organizations that are entirely dependent on government funding. All nonprofits are exempt from income tax, and depending on their activity, many nonprofits are exempt from paying other taxes such as fringe benefits tax, sales tax, and rates. Nonprofits play a very important role in the economy, society, and political system. Although they do help the social and political systems, it is far easier to measure the economic contributions. There is still a lot that...
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...Matt Verdon (08) From Part 1 of the Great Barrier Reef in danger Task sheet For your character you will need to Identify and Investigate (using evidence based research and credible data, graphs, equations, images etc): a. What are the values of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area globally? The Great Barrier Reef is a site of remarkable variety and beauty on the north-east coast of Australia and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The reef have a length of over 2,600 km and covers 1344,400 sq. km, running from the the tip of Cape York Peninsula in the north and extending down to Bundaberg in the south.It contains the world’s largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of...
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...created climate variation, and many health diseases in the population. First of all, global warming has affected many ecosystems .The marine ecosystem is dying, many fishes and mammals that live in the ocean is disappearing due to the high temperature. The arctic is defrosting and the bear polar can not found what to eat. For polar bears to stay alive, they need sea ice. Not to eat the ice itself, of course, but because the animal that represents their main victim item, the ringed close, requires sea ice as its primary habitat for resting. Another ecosystem that is affected is the coral reefs. The coral reefs, which are the filter of the sea, are bleaching. The bunch of bleaching incident that followed kill a fifth of coral communities worldwide. And while many have recovered the global loss is attributed to the mass bleaching stand. At the instant the reefs seem to be recuperating fine, but it's only an issue of time prior to another mass of bleaching. The temperature has demonstrated high level of records since 1980.The increase of temperature many deserts around the world. Also it has changed the severity and duration of storms or droughts; .Beside, many seasons have changed of month. Another effect in the climate is EL NINO which is atmospheric phenomenon that is causing atmospheric variations. Global warming the Sahara is increasing southward, making the distance swallows have to travel longer. In the end if...
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