THREATS to GREAT BARRIER REEF

Threats to the Great Barrier Reef

IN recent years there have emerged many threats to  the reef that lmake its future fairly uncertain. 

The harsh influence of human use of the reef combined with  natural factors have made  biologists and conservationist groups to be very concerned that the Great Barrier Reef could be destroyed.

The coral reef ecosystem is very diverse, and each single living organism relies on others. So if one part is damaged it damages other parts. 

Human Threats

• Shipping accidents: the Great Barrier Reef has a huge amount of ocean traffic pass through its waters every day of the year. 
• Whilst the number of resulting collisions and groundings has decreased substantially in recent history when compared to the past, their occurrence and the subsequent wreck they leave has an immediate and drastic effect on the surrounding ecosystem as debris and other foreign objects enter the water and remain there for a long period of time. A boat does not have to go to the extreme of becoming wrecked to have an effect on the Great Barrier Reef, however; the mere act of larger vessels passing through the oceans of the reef can release a substance known as Tributyltin (or “TBT”) which is used as to preserve the condition of ship hulls that is toxic to sea water and which can damage marine organisms that it is released on top of.

• Oil Spills: Despite the best efforts of government agencies to keep the Great Barrier Reef in the best condition possible, there have been a huge number of oil spills over the last few decades that have directly affected the reef and its marine life. While the act of oil drilling is banned on the reef, spills caused by passing oil container ships have still continued to occur, with the most recently recorded happening in 2010 as the Chinese bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 – travelling 10 kilometres outside the regulation shipping lane – struck the reef, scraping along its surface for a substantial length and creating a massive grounding scar over 3 kilometres in length (the longest in recorded history). As a result, some of the damaged areas have become uninhabitable for marine life and there are estimates from experts that the reef may take up to 10 to 20 years to recover from the incident. Agencies increased the maximum allowable fine for shipping companies that damage the Great Barrier Reef in response to the incident. To date, 283 total oil spills have occurred over the waters of the Great Barrier Reef since 1987.

• Over-fishing: The fishing industry is second only to tourism in terms of income generation related directly to the Great Barrier Reef, bringing in an annual profit over over $1 billion to Australia. While the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has made the majority of areas of the reef off-limits for fishing with an emphasis on reef sustainability, it is still a huge drawcard not only for commercial purposes but for leisure/sport fishing as well. While many areas, techniques and species of marine life in the reef are protected by law, trawling for various types of permitted sea life (i.e: prawns, other molluscs) inevitably leads to other species getting caught in the nets as a side effect, while the nets themselves can also damage the ocean floor and its inhabitants as a result of its “drag effect” – not to mention the additional pollution which enters the seas due to the general passage of so many fishing boats.

• Tourist visits: The millions of visitors that the Great Barrier Reef draws every year are also an unintentional contributor to the general decline of the reef. Not only leisure vessels heading out fortours to the reef but also reef-based activities such as reef-walking, using submersibles and even the runoff from various sunscreens are all thought to be contributing negative factors that – when combined with the sheer volume of tourists who frequent the reef – are much more impactful than they may seem. This is also not taking into account intentionally or neglectfully destructive practices such as littering and various other forms of man-made pollution.

Natural Threats:

• Coral bleaching: A phenomenon that occurs due to a reaction to increases in water temperature, coral bleaching can be a hugely destructive force on reefs in general and the Great Barrier Reef in particular. Corals are given their vibrant colours as a result of the algae who inhabit them; the warmer waters kill off the algae which then leads to the coral losing its colouration and results in the “bleach” effect from which the condition gets its name. The death of algae in turn results in the death of creatures that use them as their primary source of food, which once again has a ripple effect up the chain and renders the affected section of reef a veritable underwater ghost town. Scientists and researchers largely attribute the relatively sudden changes in water temperature to such natural phenomenon as the El Nino effect.

• The Crown of Thorns Starfish: Perhaps highest on the list of dangers to the Great Barrier Reef is an inhabitant of the reef itself. The Crown of Thorns starfish gains its sustenance from feasting on the polyps of coral, releasing neurotoxins to absorb the tissue of the coral and quite literally “sucking the life” out of the reef’s backbone. Once sufficient numbers of Crown of Thorns starfish are grouped together, their impact of the reef can be catastrophic – if the number of over 30 adult starfish reside in a 10 metre squared area, it can be classed as an “outbreak” which is usually a result of a lack of predators (such as the Giant Triton) of the starfish within the area. Many researchers believe that the current abundance of Crown of Thorns starfish could be a result of agricultural runoff which increases the amount of algae which serve as food for the starfish.

Cyclical Threats:

• Water Temperature and Climate Change: The aforementioned El Nino effect is considered to be the primary culprit in the increase in water temperatures that have begun to strike the Great Barrier Reef with increasing frequency. The impact of coral bleaching is just one of the ways in which higher temperatures effect the reef; climate change in general is believed by many prominent biologists to be a massive threat to the reef’s future, predicting its gradual decline until it becomes practically extinct by the year 2030. A temperature rise of 2-3 degrees C is believed to put 97% of the reef in the danger zone of bleaching every year. The rise in levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases are believed to be another significant factor – particularly carbon dioxide, which if it rises to a level of 450ppm, will put coral and reef habitats in an extremely vulnerable position.

Biodiversity

The Great Barrier Reef is internationally recognised for its outstanding biodiversity. 

The World Heritage status of the Reef recognises its great diversity of 

species and habitats.

Conserving the Reef's biodiversity is not just desirable - it is essential. By 

protecting biodiversity, we are protecting our future and our children's 

future.

Imagine the Reef with fewer species, with no variety, it would be a vastly different place, unable to sustain all that it does today. 

What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the term used to describe the variety of life on Earth.

It encompasses all living things, 

from microbes and single cell algae to marine turtles and whales,

and their habitats. 

The Great Barrier Reef relies on its biodiversity, from the animals, plants and 

algae to the micro-organisms too small for the eye to see.

It is this biodiversity that builds such a remarkable ecosystem, as well as 

supporting human use of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef's biodiversity

The Reef's extraordinary biodiversity and the interconnectedness of species and 

habitats make the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding areas one of the most

 complex natural systems on Earth.

The Great Barrier Reef:

• is the world's largest coral reef ecosystem, extending over 14º of latitudinal range
• includes over 2900 separate coral reefs
• includes deep water features of the adjoining continental shelf including canyons, channels, plateaux and slopes
• has over 2000km² of mangroves, with species representing 54 per cent of the world's mangrove diversity
• has about 6,000km² of seagrass beds
• includes about 900 islands ranging from small coral cays to large continental islands

Why are coral reefs important?

Coral reefs are one of the Earth’s significant biomes even though they are found in less than one per cent of the world’s oceans. 

They are one of the most productive global environments, providing homes for a wide variety of marine animals and plants. 

The coral reef environment is very fragile, needing special conditions to grow and survive.

WHY ARE CORAL REEFS IMPORTANT?

Coral reefs are one of the Earth’s essential ecosystems. They are important because they:

• provide habitat for one quarter of all known marine fish species
  
  
• protect the coast from wave attack and erosion
  
  
• are a food source 
  
  
• contain medicines and cures for disease
  
  
• provide income  through tourism. 
  
  
  The plants and animals found on coral reefs have been used to make medicines to treat cancer, HIV, cardiovascular diseases and ulcers. 
  
  Scientists are currently researching coral varieties for a vaccine against sunburn! 
  
  
  
  
  

HUMAN THREATS to coral reefs

HUMAN THREATS to CORAL REEFS

Photosynthesis

Video on CORAL reefs & climate change

Catalyst: Coral Winners - ABC TV Science

GAMES to LEARN

Here are some online games about coral reefs .. which also help you learn more. 

Click on the links below:

1.
The CORAL REEF GAME - knowledge test


2.
REEF CHECK Game to learn


3.
CORAL REEF GAMES

TYPES OF CORAL

TYPES OF CORAL

There are two different types of coral: soft and hard.

• Soft corals form in the still waters of the reef ecosystem. 
  
  They look like plants as they sway in the ocean currents, and are sometimes called sea fans. 
  
  They secrete small amounts of calcium carbonate that helps them attach to the reef. 
  
  Soft coral polyps always have eight tentacles.
  
  
• Hard corals are the reef-building type. 
  
  Hard corals give a coral reef its structure. 
  
  As the coral polyps grow, they form skeletons of calcium carbonate.
  
  Various corals grow differently, and the shape of each different type is often what gives the coral its name. 
  
  It takes years for the millions of coral polyps that form a colony to build the coral reef. 
  
  Hard coral polyps can be identified by the number of tentacles they have. It is always a multiple of six. 
  
  
  ACTIVITY
  
  Draw a table to show the comparison between hard and soft corals using these headings:
  
  Features
  Polyp tentacles
  Brief description
  Include a sketc of each type of coral in your table. 
  

CORAL POLYPS

A coral reef is an offshore ridge which is composed mainly of calcium carbonate. 

It is formed from the secretions of small marine animals called coral polyps. 

Coral polyps thrive in shallow, warm, nutrient poor, tropical waters. 

These tiny animals attach themselves to objects such as rocks or existing reefs and build tiny shells of calcium carbonate around themselves. 

They sit in these shells and use their tiny tentacles to catch food. 

When coral polyps die, new coral polyps build their shells on top of the old shells of the previous generation. 

In this way the reef expands over time. Take a look at the cross section of a coral polyp below.

Diagram showing a cross section of a coral polyp. The polyp is shown sitting in its calcium carbonate shell with its  tentacles outstretched.

Coral reefs are made up of millions of individual animals called coral polyps. These give reefs their structure. One of the features of coral is the way it is able to get energy from the Sun through algae called zooxanthellae. This is one of the special relationships that exist in all reef environments.

BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE REEF

Coral polyps

The basic building blocks of the coral reef are coral polyps. Coral polyps have clear bodies and white skeletons. The calcium carbonate on coral reefs is actually the skeleton of coral polyps, or more correctly the materials left behind by coral polyps as they grow. This calcium carbonate gives the coral their shape. The polyps feed off zooplankton, tiny animals that are in reef waters. 

Up to 90 per cent of the nutrients needed by the coral polyp to grow actually come from the zooxanthellae algae that live within it.

Zooxanthellae

Zooxanthellae are algae that actually grow in the coral polyp. Algae require sunlight to grow. It is algae that give coral polyps their huge range of colours. Millions of zooxanthellae algae live within just one square centimetre of coral. *

Symbiotic relationship builds reef

Nutrients in the waters around coral reefs must be low or else the coral will die. This is unusual because coral reefs are one of the most productive environments on the planet. The way nutrients are cycled around makes coral reefs unique.

Coral polyps and the zooxanthellae have a symbiotic relationship. Each organism benefits the other—the wastes of the polyp are used by the zooxanthellae to grow, and the wastes of the zooxanthellae are used by coral polyps to grow. As zooxanthellae are plants and coral polyps are animals, it is actually the zooxanthellae that are at the base of the coral reef food web. 

CORAL & POLYPS - how coral is formed

What is Coral?
Coral is made by millions of tiny carnivorous (say: car-niv-or-us)
animals called polyps.(say: pol-lips) Carniverous means to eat meat.
Polyps live in groups called colonies.
Each polyp builds a case of limestone around itself.
Coral reefs are made of thousands of these limestone cases.

Polyps

The polyp is related to the anemone, and consists of a stomach with a mouth at one end.

 The mouth is surrounded by a number of tentacles. These tentacles resemble feet, which is how they get their name: 'polyp' is a Greek word meaning 'many feet.'

The tentacles are covered with tiny stinging cells,and when a small creature brushes against the tentacles, it is killed. The prey is then brought into the polyp's stomach to be digested.

Polyps cannot move from their limestone homes. They mostly feed at night.


How do polyps reproduce?

A polyp reproduces in either of two ways:
by dividing its own body to form two polyps, or
by producing sperm and eggs 

Just after the full moon in November, eggs and sperm are released from coral polyps and float about for a few days. A small number of eggs will fertilise, hatch into larvae, and settle on the reef to begin new colonies.

Colonies grow rapidly. One polyp can become a colony of 25,000 polyps in about 3 years.









Building up a coral reefEach polyp builds a case of limestone around itself, using calcium from the water.

It is like a house, with a floor and walls. 

This remains after it has died and forms a foundation for another polyp to build a house on, putting a floor on the roof of the old one. 

When these limestone formations increase, they are called a coral reef.

In shallow water algae live in the tissues of the polyps. 

The algae use sunlight and the waste products of the polyp to make oxygen and food for the polyp. This kind of algae is called zooxanthellae. The algae need sunshine to survive, so do not live in deeper water where less sunshine filters through.

Coral reefs are the largest structures created by any group of animals in the world. They have existed on earth for over 200 million years. 

They grow in warm (18-33ºC), clear, fairly shallow water. The coral cannot grow in polluted water or water carrying soil from the land.

Coral Reefs

CORAL REEFS - General

CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM

What is a coral reef?

A coral reef is a community of living organisms. It is made up of plants, fish, and many other creatures. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. They are home to about 25% of all marine life!

There are sponges, sea slugs, oysters, clams, crabs, shrimp, sea worms, starfish and sea urchins, jellyfish and sea anemones; various types of fungi, sea turtles, and many species of fish. Think of them as the “rainforests of the oceans.”

Q1. Why are coral reefs called "rainforests of the oceans"?

Photo courtesy: Tony Hathcock, StockXchange.

Coral reefs have been around for millions of years. Less than 0.1% of the world’s ocean floor is covered by coral reefs. The reefs grow best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and moving water. However, they grow very slowly—anywhere from 0.3 cm to 10 cm per year. The reefs we see today have been growing over the past 5 000 to 10 000 years.

Photo courtesy: Adam Short, StockXchange.

Coral reefs are made of tiny animals called “polyps” that stay fixed in one place and are the main structure of a reef. Polyps have a hard outer skeleton made of calcium (similar to a snail’s shell).

Each polyp is connected by living tissue to form a community. Only the top layer of a coral reef contains living polyps. As new layers of the coral reef are built, the polyps leave the lower layers.

Each polyp has a ring of tentacles shaped like a cup around a central opening. The tentacles are like long arms with tips that can sting. They are used either for defense or to capture zooplankton (small animal life) for food.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef. It is made up of over 2 900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2 600 kilometers off the northeast coast of Australia.

Where are coral reefs located around the world?

Photo courtesy: Wikipedia.

Why are they important? 

Coral reefs do a number of amazing things! Reefs

• Protect shorelines from big waves by absorbing wave energy
• Provide a safe place for fish to spawn (release eggs into the water)
• Provide habitats for a large variety of organisms
• Provide food (fish and shellfish) for many people living along coastlines
• Are a source of medication—some anti-cancer drugs and painkillers come from reefs
• Help in the carbon cycle
• Are a good sign of ocean water quality: Healthy reefs = Healthy water.

PALM OIL & ORANGATUNS

PALM OIL & the FATE OF ORANGUTANS

RAINFOREST Yr 7 part 1

Rainforests are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on our planet.

Rainforests are important in maintaining global air quality. 

They contain more than 50 per cent of the world’s living things and much of the fresh water.

The 300 million people who inhabit rainforests are highly adapted to their environment. 

The impact of human activities on the rainforest is increasing due to population expansion and theoveruse of resources, highlighting the need for sustainable management of the rainforest environment

The rainforest environment covers about 6 per cent of the Earth’s surface, although this used to be over 14 per cent.

QUESTIONS:

a.  What does "biologically diverse" mean? 


NOTE: not all rainforests are tropical, there are also TEMPERATE RAINFORESTS. 

Tropical rainforests are named this way because they grow between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.

They are also known as equatorial rainforests as they are close to the Equator. 

Tropical rainforests have a hot and wet climate all year.

QUESTIONS: answer them in the comments. 

1.  What is the latitude of the Tropic of Cancer?

2.  What is the latitude of the Tropic of Capricorn?

3.  What is the latitude of the Equator?

4.  What is another word for precipitation?

5.  What is the average temperature in July?

6.  What is the average temperature in May?

7.  What is the average temperature in October?

8. What is the average rainfall in June?

9. What is the average rainfall in May?

10. What does mm (to describe the amount of rainfall) mean?

FRAGILE WORLD OF RAINFOREST ECOSYSTEMS

Canopy and rainforest beauty .. 

Some more vocabulary

BIODIVERSITY:  the variety of living things

ECOSYSTEM:  a community of organisms interacting with one another and WITH the environment in which they live. 

DECOMPOSERS: organisms that break down leaves and other dead organic matter into nutrients

PRODUCERS: plants that use the Sun's energy, water and carbon dioxide to produce food and energy for consumers.

CONSUMERS: animals who eat plants (PRIMARY CONSUMERS - HERBIVORES) or animals who eat other animals who have eaten plants (SECONDARY CONSUMERS)

RESTORING RAINFOREST & BIODIVERSITY

Willie Smits has devoted his life to saving the forest habitat of orangutans, the "thinkers of the jungle." As towns, farms and wars encroach on native forests, Smits works to save what is left.

Biologist Willie Smits believes he has found a way to re-grow clearcut rainforest in Borneo, saving local orangutans -- and creating a thrilling blueprint for restoring fragile ecosystems.

IMPACTS of BURNING FORESTS

BURNING FOREST for plantations in Indonesia .. the smoke covers Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in SMOG

Haze casts shadow over Singapore-Jakarta ties - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Click on the link above .. and read (or listen) 

It's not fog .. it's smog

ORANG UTAN extinction

Click on this to see a video about orang utan orphans :(
JUNGLE ORPHANS in Borneo

ORANG UTAN General info

ORANG UTAN INFORMATION - General

‘Orang-hutan’ literally means ‘Man of the Forest’.

Orangutans are highly intelligent with an ability to reason and think. This large, gentle red ape is one of our closest relatives, sharing 98% of our DNA. 

Orangutans are part of the great ape family, so they don’t have a tail and tend to be larger and heavier than monkeys, even though they are both primates. 

Great apes also have a bigger brain and can use tools, such as sticks, to help them get food to eat or leaves to make a sunshade or umbrella. 

 Orangutans live in Asia and are found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, living in lowland and hilly tropical rainforests 

The orangutan is the only strictly arboreal ape (live in trees only) and the largest tree-living mammal in the world. 

Although other apes do climb and build sleeping nests in the trees, they are primarily terrestrial (spending their lives on the ground). 

Even the bright reddish-brown hair colour is unique to the orangutan.

They have the most remarkable ability to travel through the forest treetops. Each night building a new nest out of leaves and branches in the very tops of the trees – sometimes as much as 100 feet above the ground. 

Almost all of the food they eat grow in the treetops and the frequent rains fill the leaves, supplying them with drinking water. 

When water is difficult to find, they chew leaves to make a sponge to soak up the droplets in tree cavities. Although, when it rains hard, they might make an umbrella for out of big leaves. 

Some might say orangutans have four hands instead of two hands and two feet. 

These appendages (hands & feet) make them graceful and agile while climbing through the trees, but makes walking on the ground somewhat slow and awkward. This is why they are at a great disadvantage on the ground, and rarely comes down from the treetops.

STATUS: Endangered.

DESCRIPTION:

Orangutans have thin, shaggy, reddish-brown hair. They have long, powerful arms and strong hands that they can use to manipulate tools. Orangutans have the ability to make 13 to15 different types of vocalizations.

SIZE: 

Most orangutans are four to five feet long, some can reach a length of six feet. Adult males weigh between 100 and 200 pounds and adult females weigh between 65 and 100 pounds. Orangutans have an arm spread of about five feet.

POPULATION:

An estimated 19,000 to 25,000 orangutans live in the wild. Another 900 live in captivity.

LIFE SPAN:

In the wild, orangutans live for about 35 to 40 years.

LOCATION:
Orangutans are only found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Southeast Asia.

HABITAT Orangutans are arboreal creatures, which means they spend most of their lives slowly walking, swinging and climbing through dense rain forests.

FOOD:

Orangutans feed mainly on fruits, especially wild figs. They also eat other kinds of vegetation, insects, small vertebrates and birds eggs.

BEHAVIOUR:

Orangutans are solitary creatures. Adult males live primarily alone and only come together with females to mate. Adult females live with their young. Occasionally, adults will live with other adults for short periods in small temporary groups. Orangutans spend most of their lives in a "home range" of 0.4 to 3.7 square miles. Females have a smaller home range than males. Sometimes the home ranges of individual orangutans overlap.

OFFSPRING:

Females are able to give birth after age seven, but in the wild they generally do not mate until age 12. They give birth to one young at a time, which clings to its mothers stomach until it is about a year old. When an orangutan reaches adolescence at about four or five years, it becomes more independent but may seek protection from its mother until it reaches seven to eight years.

THREATS:

The orangutans most serious threat is the destruction of forest habitat from excessive logging. Female orangutans are also killed and their young are taken and illegally placed in circuses and zoos.

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com.au/kids/animals/creaturefeature/orangutan/

VOCABULARY - Write the meaning of the following words:
manipulate:
vertebrates:
arboreal:
terrestrial:
appendages:
DNA:

Use the information above and DESCRIBE orang utans in half a page. 

PLANT ADAPTION TO A RAINFOREST

RAINFOREST LAYERS

RAINFORESTS

Rainforests have layers .. which is mostly because of the different access to sunlight. And the plants and animals adapt - to live in the different layers. 

Emergent layer
Canopy 
      Upper Canopy
      Lower Canopy
Understory
Forest Floor

BENEATH THE CANOPY

RAINFORESTS - WHERE, WHAT, HOW, WHY?

ECOSYSTEMS

ECOSYSTEMS

Malaysia - location with maps.

MALAYSIA: West Malaysia (where the Capital, Kuala Lumpur is), and East Malaysia (the states of Sabah and Sarawak). Brunei and part of Indonesia are also on the island - Borneo. It's not far from Vietnam and Cambodia and Thailand.

KOTA KINABALU (capital of the State of Sabah) is 6 degrees north of the equator.
KUALA LUMPER (Capital of Malaysia) is 4 degrees north of the equator.

QUESTIONS:  Answer in the comment box: 

1. What direction will we be travelling 

a.From Singapore to Kuala Lumpur?
b.From Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu?
c.From Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan?
d. From Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu?
e. From Kota Kinabalu to Singapore?


2. What direction IN DEGREES is

a. Singapore FROM Kuala Lumpur?
b. Kuala Lumpur FROM Singapore?
c. Sandakan FROM Kota Kinabalu?

3. What is the approximate LATITUDE of Singapore?

4. How many KILOMETRES are there between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur?

5.  What sea will we be flying over when travel from Kuala Lumpur to KK (Kota Kinabalu)?