NAME: ____keyshawn_____________________________________

Endangered reefs, Threatened People

https://tinyurl.com/coralreefbleaching123

1. Over _______25%______ of marine life, about 2 million species, rely on coral reefs for
_________food____________ and _________shelter____. This is even more
impressive when we consider that reefs cover less than _____1%_______ of the earth’s
surface and less than ______2%_____ of the ocean bottom.
2. What are some of the “ecosystem services” provided by coral reefs?
A. fish
B. medicine
C. HIV
D. constuction
E.
3. Coral reefs are found in _____tropical_________ and _____semi tropical_________
waters between latitudes and ____32N______ and __32S________.
4. What regions of the world rely on coral reefs?
A.SE Asia
B. central America
C. South America
D. Oceania Africa
E. Easturn Africa

5. Use the maps of people protected by coral reefs and fishermen who depend on coral
reefs. List 3 important observations:
most of africa is not protected
B. none of West Australia
C. all of the central pacific is covered

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6. Corals are damaged by ____overfishing _______and fishing practices that
____break_____or poison the reefs. Careless ____tourist ______activities, coral
_______minging ____, and local pollution also harm these ecosystems.
7. As sea temperature rises, what happens to corals?
bleach and kill the corals

8. As ocean pH levels decrease, what happens to the corals?

more acidic
9. When coral reefs are ___healthy _______ and stresses are low, processes of reef
______building _________outpace reef destruction.

10. What does outpace mean in the sentence above?

not where the health needs to be
11. The combined effects of human activities have increased stress on coral reefs. As a
result, coral reefs are ______degraded_____and dying in many places, and more coral
reef loss is expected as _______carbon____________ builds in the atmosphere.

12. What does degrade mean in the sentence above?

go down
13. Increasing CO2 emissions will lead to two serious stresses for coral reefs: _____rising
________sea surface temperature and ocean _____acdiffiltion __________.

14. Describe the bleached corals in the pictures shown.

looks really dirty and unhealthy
15. How do scientists predict when a coral reef bleaching might occur?
Scientists predict coral bleaching by tracking sea surface temperatures and Degree
Heating Weeks (DHW), with bleaching likely when DHW reaches 4-6 weeks and
widespread bleaching at 8+ weeks.
16. Coral bleaching is ______sighnifcenly _______when DHW values reach
______4C____________ weeks. Coral ________mortality _________and widespread
bleaching can be expected when DHW reaches _____8C______-weeks.

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17. According to the RCP8.5 map, which areas of the world have already reached DWH-8
annually?
Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and the Coral Triangle have already reached DHW-8
18. Which areas of the world will reach DWH-8 by 2089?
Pacific, Indian Ocean, and parts of the western Atlantic

19. What are three important things you can do to prevent coral reef bleaching?
Reduce carbon emissions to fight climate change. Protect coral reefs from pollution and
overfishing. Support sustainable tourism and responsible marine practices

Part 2: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Although they may look like plants or rocks, corals are animals related to jellyfish and
anemones. Many coral species have a hard outer skeleton and live in large groups called
colonies. The skeletons of all the corals in a colony create the structures of coral reefs.

Most corals form a symbiosis (a close, long-term relationship between organisms of different
species) with tiny algae (organisms that perform photosynthesis and typically live underwater).
These algae live within the coral’s cells and provide the coral with most of the food it needs.

Stressful environmental conditions — such as sudden or prolonged changes in temperature,

sunlight, or oxygen — can disrupt the symbiosis between the corals and their algae. Corals
may then force the algae out of their cells in a process called coral bleaching. Since the algae
give corals their color, corals turn white after bleaching.

Though corals can survive short-term bleaching, their risk of disease and death increases.
Human activities have led to an increase in coral bleaching worldwide. This impacts corals,
coral reef ecosystems, and human communities that rely on coral reefs.

Figures a and c show two different species of corals from a reef off the Caribbean coast of
Panama. Parts of both corals have undergone bleaching, which is indicated by the arrows
pointing to the white areas.

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EXTENSION INFORMATION
All these images are from a reef in Bahía Almirante, a bay on the Caribbean coast of Panama,
in 2017. At this time, Bahía Almirante experienced sudden deoxygenation, or loss of oxygen.
This may have been caused by ocean pollution or changes in water temperature and wind
activity.

Similar to heat stress, deoxygenation is a stressful environmental condition that can cause
coral bleaching. Figures a and c, which were shown at the beginning of this activity, are of
corals that bleached after deoxygenation.

Figure b shows other corals covered in a microbial mat (a group of many microbes, typically
bacteria and cyanobacteria), which looks like thin white threads. These microbial mats thrive
when oxygen is low, allowing them to grow over corals.

Figure d is a map of Bahía Almirante shortly after the 2017 deoxygenation event. The colors
indicate the levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water. The white triangle shows the location
of the reef where the photos were taken.

Figure e shows dying brittle stars (a type of invertebrate that lives on coral reefs) gathered on
some corals. Brittle stars are just some of the many reef organisms that were impacted by the
loss of oxygen.

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Directions: Read the background information and watch the animation. As you watch the
animation you will click on the blue links to read more information.

https://www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources/interactive-exploration-coral-bleaching

What is a symbiotic relationship? How does this relationship relate to corals?

A symbiotic relationship is when two different species live together and benefit from
each other,

What is a microbial mat? Is this harmful or beneficial to coral? (Hint: think about
photosynthesis)

A microbial mat is a dense layer of microorganisms that can be either beneficial or harmful to
coral,

List 3 things that could cause corals to disrupt the symbiosis between the polyp and
algae. Heat: High temperatures cause bleaching.Pollution: Chemicals harm algae.
Low Light: Limits algae photosynthesis.

Based on the map in the video- where are most coral reefs located?

tropical and subtropical

Animal How do they depend on coral reefs?

Crustacean shelter and food

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Fish food shelter and breeding grounds

Sea anemones stability often with clownfish

Sea Stars/ Sea worms Live on reefs, feeding on coral or detritus.

Shark Hunt and use reefs as nursery grounds.

Turtles Feed on reef organisms and nest in reef

areas.

Sea Urchins/ Sea Cucumbers

Feed on algae, helping keep reefs
clean.

Fill in the table:Describe the ecosystem services provided by the coral reefs:

a. Fisheries Provide food and income.

b. Tourism Attract visitors for recreation.

c. Shoreline Protection Prevent coastal erosion.

d. Culture Hold cultural importance.

e. Nutrient Cycling Recycle nutrients for marine life.

f. Medicine

Offer resources
fomedical
research.

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g.

Describe the life cycle of a coral polyp:

7. Describe the reproductive process of fragmentation:

8. Why are corals classified as animals and not plants?

9. What type of relationship are the following examples:

- Barnacles growing on a whale: ________________________________

- A bird spreading seeds from a tree after eating a fruit:
____________________________
- A tick feeding off of a dog: ____________________________________

10. What are zooxanthellae?

11. What is the function of a chloroplast and thylakoid membrane?

12. Label the diagram:

13. What are reactive oxygen

molecules?

14. If an entire colony loses its

zoothanthellae, what happens?

15. When the sea temperature is just ______________ degree higher than normal,
_____________ stress can occur.

16. What is a Degree Heating Week? What can happen at 4 DHW? 8 DHW?

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17. What is exocytosis?

18. How can corals survive bleaching?

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