CORAL REEFS

REEFER FACTS

• Reefs are made up of tiny animals, called polyps that have a hard outer skeleton
• Each polyp connects by living tissue to form a community
• It also has a ring of tentacles used to capture their food, called zooplankton
• Coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine life
• Reefs provide habitats for a large variety of organisms like sponges, oysters, starfish, jellyfish, sea turtles, and various kinds of fish

REEFER FACTS

• Coral reefs are ancient animals, that are related to jellyfish and sea anemones
• All the coral reefs in the ocean add up to about the size of France, which is about one percent of the sea floor

POLLUTION

• Fertilizer washes into the ocean, which over produces algae on the reef causing it to die
• Chemicals from sunscreen and pollution from sewage poison the reefs

POLLUTION

• Greenhouse gas emissions make the water warmer, and coral cannot live in water over 26-27°C
• When the water gets too warm, it causes the bleaching of coral, leading to die offs

Approximately 60% of the worlds coral reefs are at medium or high risk from human impact, and may be past the point of recovery.

EFFECTS ON CREATION

• Coral reefs provide habitats for a large variety of organisms
• They also provide food for fish
• Anti-cancer and painkiller drug components sometimes come from reefs
• Protects shorelines against erosion

DESTRUCTION

• 10% of the world's reefs have been destroyed
• The Philippines has the worst coral reef destruction with 70% destroyed

DESTRUCTION

• Overfishing
• The use of explosives around reefs to make it easier to catch more fish at one time

WAYS TO HELP

• Raise awareness about this issue
• Fight against pollution and overfishing
• Find ways to decrease greenhouse gases

VIDEO

• http://youtu.be/rkKs-5JGSoo

CITATIONS

• http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/habitat/coral_index.cfm
• http://ocean.si.edu/corals-and-coral-reefs
• http://ecokids.la/coral-reef-damage
• http://youtu.be/rkKs-5JGSoo