How Things Work?
The Coral Reef Biome is one of the most productive biomes that can be found on our planet. It accounts for almost three quarters of our primary productivity on our global. The phytoplankton autotrophs account for most of the living plant life in the world. Next in the food chain are copepods and small fish that devour the phytoplankton. The layer after that accounts for the pelagic fishes that consume the smaller fish. Apex predators in the coral reef biome include dolphins and sharks. Nitrogen is supplanted and recycled into the reef system by natural death and decomposers. The reef ecosystem is very broad and expansive to where there are many different productive species that are inclusive in the different niches and food chain levels which make the pyramid more hardy and reliable. This is because, if the one species has a drastic population decrease, the consumer of that species can always resort to other less optimal prey but nevertheless survive. Primary productivity is the production of organic compounds from atmospheric or aquatic carbon. The process is predominantly encompassed with photosynthesis with chemosynthesis being the lesser contributor. The Net Primary Productivity is the Gross Productivity minus the respiration by plants and is normally expressed in the form of (g C/m^2/ yr). So as the planktonic life produces organic material from light, the first level consumers benefit from these microscopic organisms then the largest apex predator finishes the chain. The decomposers in the ecosystem breakdown the nutrients and return phosphorus and nitrogen back into the great barrier reef system biome cycle.
Geography
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/coasts/coral_reefs/
Coral reefs are found in cool water areas. They cannot survive temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. There are big reefs of the coast Mexico, Cuba, Florida, California, Hawaii, and Japan. Our Journey takes us to the largest reef in the world: the Great Barrier Reef, on the Coast of Northern Australia. The map to the left shows reef distribution in the world and the star is our location of the eco friendly vacation spot!
Climate
The climate in the coral reef region is broken up into two seasons instead of four: the wet and dry season. The wet season consists of high humidity and sometimes muggy weather. There are frequently cyclones, but the Great Barrier Reef does not experience many of these. The average temperature is about 25 degrees Celsius and makes it the ideal and practical region to host marine life. Average rainfall is 200 mm. Below is a link to show a climatograph of the Great Barrier Reef.
Some limiting factors to the climate are hurricanes, typhoons, and rising temperatures.
Some limiting factors to the climate are hurricanes, typhoons, and rising temperatures.
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Organisms
Producers: small flagellates; chlorophyta; algae; seaweed
Marine Fish (consumers): Well over one thousand species of fish inhabit the Great Barrier Reef. They include yellow-faced angelfishes, fusiliers, blue tuskfishes, cardinal fishes, tervallies, gobies, Mandarin fishes, manta rays, and tiger sharks.
Decomposers: crustaceans, aquatic fungus, fan worms, bacteria and some flora and fauna within the corals.
Hard Corals: Hard corals form the backbone of the reef, but it wasn't until the mid-18th century that corals were recognized as animals, not (as previously thought) plants. Corals are remarkable creatures, forming vast colonies and habitats.
Jellyfish: Moon jelly, stinging nettle, portugues man-o-war, comb jelly
Sponges and Echinoderms: The Great Barrier Reef is home to a wide variety of sponges (yellow burrowing sponge, tubular sponge, thick yellow fan sponge) and echinoderms (sea urchin, sea cucumber, blue sea star, brittle star).
Marine Reptiles: Numerous marine reptiles inhabit the reef including green sea turtles, loggerhead turtles, olive sea snakes, turtle-headed sea snakes.
Marine Mammals: The marine mammals that frequent the reef include humpback whales, Irrawaddy river dolphins, minke whales, and spinner dolphins.
Endangered animals: Blue whale, various turtle species, dugong
Marine Fish (consumers): Well over one thousand species of fish inhabit the Great Barrier Reef. They include yellow-faced angelfishes, fusiliers, blue tuskfishes, cardinal fishes, tervallies, gobies, Mandarin fishes, manta rays, and tiger sharks.
Decomposers: crustaceans, aquatic fungus, fan worms, bacteria and some flora and fauna within the corals.
Hard Corals: Hard corals form the backbone of the reef, but it wasn't until the mid-18th century that corals were recognized as animals, not (as previously thought) plants. Corals are remarkable creatures, forming vast colonies and habitats.
Jellyfish: Moon jelly, stinging nettle, portugues man-o-war, comb jelly
Sponges and Echinoderms: The Great Barrier Reef is home to a wide variety of sponges (yellow burrowing sponge, tubular sponge, thick yellow fan sponge) and echinoderms (sea urchin, sea cucumber, blue sea star, brittle star).
Marine Reptiles: Numerous marine reptiles inhabit the reef including green sea turtles, loggerhead turtles, olive sea snakes, turtle-headed sea snakes.
Marine Mammals: The marine mammals that frequent the reef include humpback whales, Irrawaddy river dolphins, minke whales, and spinner dolphins.
Endangered animals: Blue whale, various turtle species, dugong
Water composition
The water has to be warm, but not too warm. Water around coral reefs is the cleanest water in the ocean. The water cannot have too much silt in it. It is low in nitrogen and phosphorous so it limits growth. There is a lot of iron in water near coral reefs.
- Modeled mean chlorophyll averaged 0.46 μg/L across the whole
- Modeled mean Suspended Solids averaged 2.1 mg/L across the whole
- Particulate Nitrogen averaged 1.4 μmol/L (19.6 µg/L) across the whole
- Particulate Phosporous averaged 0.1 μmol/L (3.1 µg/L) across the whole
- Total Dissolved Nitrogen averaged 5.3 μmol/L (78.4 µg/L) across the whole
- Total dissolved Phosporous averaged 0.23 μmol/L (7.1 µg/L) across the whole
- Total Nitrogen averaged 7.2 μmol/L (101 µg/L) across the whole
- Total Phosporous averaged 0.34 μmol/L (10.5 µg/L) across the whole
- °C in August to 24 °C in February
- 27–28 °С in the north all through the year. Water salinity is 34.5–35.5‰ (parts per thousand).
- The water is mostly very clear, with the visibility of about 30 metres (100 ft) near the reefs.
primary productivity
Reefs have the lowest nutrient value in all biomes.
The gross primary productivity in tropical coral reefs is about 1,500 – 5,000 gC/m2/yr. Some factors that contribute to high productivity may include runoff from land, except where land is unavailable, upwelling in the water column, groundwater leaching, fast flowing water. Some limiting factors include phosphorus and nitrogen.
The gross primary productivity in tropical coral reefs is about 1,500 – 5,000 gC/m2/yr. Some factors that contribute to high productivity may include runoff from land, except where land is unavailable, upwelling in the water column, groundwater leaching, fast flowing water. Some limiting factors include phosphorus and nitrogen.
Scientific Action
Just recently in July of 2010, a scientist named Justin Marshall, from the University of Queensland in Australia, and his team discovered a prehistoric deep sea amphipod hidden beneath the Great Barrier Reef. These creatures along with many others are under threat from global warming that is why Marshall is on a mission to protect them.