What is the apex predator of the Coral Reef?
Sharks are the boss of the reef, but large mobile apex predators such as tigers, hammerheads and bull sharks are the most vulnerable in conservation frameworks based only on Marine Protected Areas. Their removal or decline is predicted to have more flow-on effects to reef communities than for smaller sharks.
What can kill coral reefs?
Pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing practices using dynamite or cyanide, collecting live corals for the aquarium market, mining coral for building materials, and a warming climate are some of the many ways that people damage reefs all around the world every day.
What are predator/prey relationships in the coral reef?
Example of predator-prey relationships in a coral reef include sharks (predator) and dolphins (prey), starfish (predator) and snails (prey), and barracudas (predator) and black triggerfish (predator).
Who eats who in the coral reef?
The primary consumer is always a plant eater. They can be an herbivore, which is an animal that only eats plants, or an omnivore, which eats plants and animals to get energy. In the coral reef, you’ll find many primary consumers. Two of the most common are sea cucumbers and parrot fish.
Are corals important?
Coral reefs provide an important ecosystem for life underwater, protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves hitting the coast, and provide a crucial source of income for millions of people. Coral reefs teem with diverse life. Thousands of species can be found living on one reef.
What are the three major threats to coral reefs?
Coral reefs face many threats from local sources, including: Physical damage or destruction from coastal development, dredging, quarrying, destructive fishing practices and gear, boat anchors and groundings, and recreational misuse (touching or removing corals).
What is the third largest reef in the world?
Florida Keys Reef Tract
Where is most coral located?
Most reefs are located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, in the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf. Corals are also found farther from the equator in places where warm currents flow out of the tropics, such as in Florida and southern Japan.
What lives in coral reef?
Coral reefs provide habitat for a large variety of marine life, including various sponges, oysters, clams, crabs, sea stars, sea urchins, and many species of fish. Coral reefs are also linked ecologically to nearby seagrass, mangrove, and mudflat communities.
Can you find coral on the beach?
Coral is a sea creature that grows in reefs with other pieces of coral. These reefs are often home to many types of organisms, such as algae, sponges and barnacles. If coral dies, it may find its way to the beach where you can pick it up. Place the coral in a container of cold, fresh water for three days.