Transcript 5th Deep Oceans and Coral Reefs

Presented by Calvin Li, Brian Jung and Vishnu Pillarisetti
Coral Reefs: Physical Characteristics
 There are many physical characteristics native to
different biomes, which help distinguish it from each
other. Several of those aforementioned attributes are
listed below:
 The optimal temperature is around 26-27°C, with the
lowest accepted rate being approximately 18°C.
 As coral reefs are submerged, measuring rainfall is not
an applicable factor for this environment.
 Types of organisms in this ecosystem include corals,
grazing fish (i.e. parrotfish), sea urchins, sponges,
algae, and groupers.
Coral Reefs: Ecosystem
Food Webs
 Several distinguished food webs in this ecosystem
include:
 Sharks, which prey on barracudas, which pufferfish,
which prey on coral, which depend on zooplankton.
 Moray eels, which eat parrotfish, which prey on coral,
which depends on zooplankton.
 Sharks, which eat squid, which eat butterflyfish, which
prey on coral, which depend on zooplankton, which
depend on phytoplankton.
 Sponge, which preys on zooplankton, which depends
on phytoplankton.
Scavengers
 Snails, starfishes, and various other animals are
scavengers in the ecosystem.
Coral Reefs: Indicator/Keystone Species
 Butterflyfish: Shows a decline in the health of a reef,
manifested by decreasing food; results in a decrease in
the abundance and diversity of these species
 Larval assemblages of fish and other reef taxa: Their
sensitivity, along with their position in the pelagic
food web, make them excellent indicators of
environmental perturbations
 Ectoparasites on coral reef fishes: Reveals deteriorating
water quality when they increase in quantity
 Coelobites, Heterotrophic macroinvertebrates, etc.
Coral Reefs: Human Impact
 Coral mining from
small-scale harvesting
and industrial-scale
mining are effects of
human interaction with
the coral reefs.
 In addition, dynamite
fishing, mooring, and
construction in this area
takes its toll.
The Open Ocean
Open Ocean: Physical Characteristics
 One of the more complex and varied ecosystems, the
open ocean is characterized by several distinct
characteristics, as listed below:
 The temperature varies for such a diverse ecosystem,
especially since the ocean involves several zones, some
of which are not reached by sunlight and therefore
have extremely low temperatures. The photic zone, the
area which photosynthesis can occur, has
temperatures ranging from 12 to 20 degrees Celsius.
 Rainfall, again for this environment, is a rather
inapplicable factor.
Open Ocean: Physical Characteristics (Cont.)
 Types of organisms in this ecosystem include radiata,
fish, cetacea, plankton, echinoderms, and various
other organisms.
Food Web
 In the open ocean, there are many food chains, a few of
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which are highlighted in this presentation:
Small whales prey on seals, which in turn feed on krill,
which in turn prey on phytoplankton.
Wreck fish prey on migrating fish and squid, which prey on
midwater fish, which eat zooplankton, whose prey is
phytoplankton.
Polar bears feed on seals, which in turn feed on krill, whose
prey is phytoplankton
Sharks feed on scorpionfish, which eat hawkfish, which eat
barnacles, which prey on zooplankton, whose prey is
phytoplankton.
Food Web (Cont.)
 Several scavengers from the ocean biome include
crabs, lobsters, shrimp, flounder, sleeper sharks, and
other mollusks.
Keystone/Indicator Species
 Many indicator species of the ocean include fish, birds
(i.e the Atlantic Puffin), and periphyton, a type of
algae.
 These species indicate often biochemicals, global
warming’s effects, new diseases, or just other various
problems that affect the environment.
Human Impact
 Several human activities influence the ocean, notably
pollution due to trash, sewage, storm drain, and oil
spills.
 Sewage can act as a fertilizer, therefore spawning
plankton blooms, which can be deadly to wildlife in
the ocean. Another effect is deoxification, which
lowers the amount of oxygen available to the marine
animals.
Conclusion
 As you can see, the coral reefs and open oceans are
diverse, interesting ecosystems that have plenty of
physical characteristics, complex food webs, and
keystone species. Unfortunately, humans also impact
both in a detrimental manner, causing us to
potentially lose these unique environments.