Coral Reef Research & Lessons

Transcription

1

2 Coral Reef Research & Lessons What is a Coral Reef? Coral reefs are large underwater structures made up of millions of tiny animals called coral polyps. Coral polyps look like plants but are in fact simple animals. They have a soft tube like body with a mouth surrounded by long tentacles. The tentacles grab its food. Coral reefs grow in warm tropical seas where the temperature of the water stays above 65 degrees F. Most reefs lie near the equator in shallow waters (usually 100 feet deep or less). Coral reefs are sometimes called the rainforest of the sea because of the enormous diversity of plants and animals. Find the locations of coral reefs around the world by doing a quick internet search. Hard Coral vs. Soft Corals Hard corals are so named because they have a stony bases and/or hard outer skeletons. Hard corals live on the seafloor and on slopes. They feed only at night and are bright and colorful during feeding. Hard corals are reef building corals. See information below in How a Reef is Formed. Soft corals do not have stony bases or outer skeletons; they are soft. They grow on overhangs and cliffs and feed during the day. They are very bright and colorful. How a Reef is Formed When the hard coral polyps die, their skeletons are left behind. New polyps attach to the skeletons and when these new polyps die, their skeletons add another layer. So a reef is built over a long period of time and consists of layers and layers of coral polyp skeletons. Speaking of Skeletons Your skeleton is on the inside of your body; your body made your bones by using minerals from the foods you eat. A hard coral s skeleton is on the outside of its body. It is made by using chemicals it takes in from the seawater.

3 Our Reefs are Disappearing Sadly, our coral reefs have been disappearing. It has been estimated that we have lost 20% of the coral reefs in the world in the last 20 years. Several factors are contributing to the loss. Unfortunately, much of the blame is put on humans. 1) Over Fishing When too many of a particular species are removed from a reef, it can upset the balance of the food web at the reef and can cause parts of the reef to eventually die out. 2) Water Pollution Chemical runoff from pesticides and fertilizers eventually make it to the oceans. Many chemicals are poisonous to the creatures who live in the oceans and on the reefs. 3) Boat Anchors Anchors thrown from boats by careless captains break up the reef bit by bit. 4) Souvenirs Coral reefs are fascinating places for divers and snorkelers to visit. It is a huge industry and brings in many millions of dollars to countries near reefs. However, many tourists touch the reef or try to break off pieces for souvenirs. Why are Coral Reefs Important to Us? Besides being one of the most beautiful and fascinating places on Earth, coral reefs are important to humans for many reasons. 1) Protection Many reefs provide barriers to the coast against incoming waves. Without the reefs, shorelines would erode more quickly. 2) Medicines Many drugs and medicines have been developed from substances collected from coral reefs. If the reefs disappear, we will lose a very important medical resource. 3) Food

4 The coral reef teems with life. The reef provides food to many people all over the world. Of course we have to be careful never to overfish or take too many of a single species from the reef. 4) Tourism Dollars Countries located near coral reefs depend upon money generated from tourists who come to visit the reef. Without those tourists, many local people would lose their jobs. Can your child think of other reasons? Types of Reefs Atolls are circular reefs with a lagoon in the center. They are usually far from the coastline. Fringing Reefs are found close to the shore of islands and coastlines. The water between the reef and the shore is shallow. Barrier Reefs lie farther away from shore. The water between the reef and the shore is deeper (up to 100 feet) and forms a lagoon Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and perhaps the most famous reef in the world. It is located in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Australia and is home to about 340 kinds of coral and more than 2,200 species of fish. The Great Barrier Reef is more than 1,200 miles long but it is not actually one reef. It is actually many, many (about 3,000) smaller reefs located close together. What Makes a Fish a Fish? Fish are important creatures that live on the coral reef. But not all creatures that live on the reef are fish. So how do we know which creatures are fish? If you asked 30 children What is a fish? You would probably get 30 completely different answers. We all have different ideas of what a fish is? However, most fish do share some common characteristics. A fish is a vertebrate which means it has a backbone and an internal skeleton.

5 Most fish live underwater and breathe with gills. Most fish have scales and they swim using fins. Most fish lay jellylike eggs. Fish Defenses There are many different ways that fish protect themselves from predators on the reef. Here are just a few: Black Spots Some fish have black spots toward the backs of their bodies. Predators mistake it for their eyes and attack the wrong end of the fish allowing the fish to escape. Black Stripes Some fish have black stripes covering their eyes leaving predators wondering which end to attack. Poisonous Stingers Some fish have poisonous stingers to protect themselves from predators. Camouflage Some fish have special features which allow them to blend very well in their environments. Schools Some fish travel in groups, called schools, for protection. Large schools of moving fish often confuse their predators. Appearing Larger Some fish are able to inflate themselves which makes them appear larger and possibly too large for a predator to eat. Food Chain There are three levels to every food chain. The first or bottom level consists of plants. Plants are called primary producers. They make their own food through by using energy from the sun. The second level is made up of herbivores or animals that eat plants. Herbivores

6 are called primary consumers because they are the first group to consume food, or eat the primary producers or plants. The third or top level consists of carnivores or animals that eat other animals. Carnivores are called secondary consumers because they are the second group in the food chain to eat food. Carnivores may also be tertiary consumers if they have eaten another carnivore and are therefore the third group in the food chain to eat food. You can think of the food chain like an energy pyramid. On the bottom are plants that receive energy from the sun. This bottom level of the pyramid is wide to represent the many plants that are necessary to make food energy for the herbivores. The next level is the herbivores. The level is not as wide as the bottom level and shows that there are fewer herbivores than there are plants because each herbivore has to eat many plants in order to have the energy it needs to survive. The third or top level is narrowest and represents carnivores. There are fewer carnivores than herbivores because carnivores must consume many herbivores in order to have enough energy to survive. So a food chain involves plants, herbivores, and carnivores. But most plants and animals belong to more than one food chain. When two different food chains connect a food web is formed. Animals of the Coral Reef Parrotfish Parrotfish are very brightly colored and have beaklike mouths made of teeth that are fused together. They are sometimes called the cows of the sea because they are grazers. In search of small plants called algae, parrotfish will eat the coral reef. The reef is digested and passes out of the parrotfish as sand. One parrotfish can create as much as 1,100 pounds of sand each year that ends up on tropical beaches around the world. (That's enough sand to fill 75 1-gallon pails!) Some parrotfish create a mucous blanket to surround and protect themselves at night. The mucous blanket keeps predators from picking up their smell.

7 Anemones and Anemone Fish Sea anemones are animals that live on the reef. They have stinging tentacles that keep most predators away. Because anemone fish, such as clown fish, have a protective coating of slime on their bodies, they can live among the anemone s tentacles. In return for providing a safe home for them, the anemone fish clean up the anemone by eating parasites and scraps. Anemone fish also are very territorial so they drive away anemone predator fish. Anemone fish rarely stray from their homes and even lay their eggs at the base of the anemone. Giant Clams Most clams are only a few inches long, but the giant clam really is a giant measuring up to 4.8 feet long and weighing over 500 pounds! You can find a giant clam, the largest mollusk on Earth, in the warm waters of the South Pacific and Indian oceans. Once a giant clam fastens itself to a spot on a coral reef, it will sit there for the rest of its life which may be 100 years. Giant clams look alike, but no two giant clams have the same coloring! Isn't that amazing!? In order to eat and live, giant clams are dependent on algae that live in their tissues, and algae are dependent on the giant clams. The clams consume the sugars and proteins produced by the algae. In exchange, the clams offer the algae a safe home and access to sunlight which the algae need for photosynthesis. Clams also survive by consuming plankton; they use a siphon to draw in water to filter and eat passing plankton. Despite popular myth, giant clams do not eat people. Keeping it Clean Some animals in the reef help others to stay clean! The cleaner wrasse is known as the reef s vacuum cleaner because sucks parasites, dead skin and bits of food from the fins, gills, teeth and skin of reef predators. This process keeps the wrasse fish fed and the larger fish clean! In order to let the fish know it's ready for work, the wrasse will wiggle and jiggle. When the fish see the dance, they line up for cleaning.

8 Cleaner shrimp do the same work as the cleaner fish. They do a dance, too, to let customers know they are open for business. One shrimp or several (or combos of cleaner shrimp and cleaner fish) share a cleaning station where sharks, moray eels, large groupers, and triggerfish wait their turns to be cleaned. A shrimp is not afraid to climb inside the mouth; the predator will not eat it! It also works on the gills, skin, mucus coating, and eyeballs. Library List Colorful Captivating Coral Reefs by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent DK 24 Hours Coral Reef by Caroline Bingham Coral Reef Food Chains by Bobbie Kalman Eyewitness Books Fish by Steven Parker One Less Fish by Kim Michelle Toft and Allan Sheather One Small Square Coral Reef by Donald M. Silver A Coral Reef Tale: Old Shell, New Shell by Helen Ward Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes Easy Chapter Book: Magic School Bus: The Fishy Field Trip by Martin Schwabacher

9 Cut pocket out as one piece. Fold back up. Wrap flaps around the back and glue down. Cut out cards. Use the cards for sorting (animal classification) or just for learning. You may want to write some facts on the back of each card. Coral Reef Creatures

10 Butterfly Fish Green Sea Turtle Cowfish Damselfish

11 Manta Ray Eagle Ray Lionfish Triggerfish

12 Hawkfish Goby Sea Fan Brain Coral

13 Sea Whip Sea Anemone Jellyfish Feather Star

14 Blue-ringed Octopus Crown-of-thorns Starfish Porcelain Crab Sponge Crab

15 Arrow Crabs Argus Sea Cucumber Cuttlefish Giant Clam

16 Cut out book as one piece. Fold matchbook style. Open. Cut on dotted line to form two flaps.

17 The cleaner wrasse is a fish known as the reef s vacuum cleaner because it sucks parasites, dead skin and bits of food from the fins, gills, teeth, and skin of reef predators. This process keeps the wrasse fish fed and the larger fish clean! In order to let the fish know it's ready for work, the wrasse will wiggle and jiggle. When the fish see the dance, they line up for cleaning. Cleaner shrimp do the same work as the cleaner fish. They do a dance, too, to let customers know they are open for business. One shrimp or several (or combos of cleaner shrimp and cleaner fish) share a cleaning station where sharks, moray eels, large groupers, and triggerfish wait their turns to be cleaned. A shrimp is not afraid to climb inside the mouth; the predator will not eat it! It also works on the gills, skin, mucus coating, and eyeballs. Directions: Cut and paste information and pictures in to the matchbook. The fish on the top is being cleaned by a wrasse fish. The fish on the bottom is being cleaned by a shrimp. (It s hard to see! Can your student find it?)

18 Directions: Fold paper in half on dotted lines. Cut around giant clam shape. On the inside of the book, write facts about the giant clam.

19 My skeleton is on the INSIDE or OUTSIDE of my body. My body made my bones by A hard coral s skeleton is on the INSIDE or OUTSIDE of its body. Its body made its bones by You are looking at the inside of the book. Fold bottom to the middle. Fold top to the middle. Glue cover pieces on the outside flaps.

20 Cut out book above as one piece. Fold in half. Use the inside to record how a coral reef is formed (or use it for whatever may suit your purpose!). Cut out book above as one piece. Fold like a matchbook.

21 Cut out book as one piece. Fold in half on the black line. Cut on the dotted lines to form three flaps. soft coral both Hard coral Reef Building Hard Skeleton or Stony Base No Hard Skeleton Bright and Colorful Feeds at Night Feeds During Day Lives on Seafloor or Slopes Lives on Overhangs and Cliffs

22 Cut books out on solid lines; fold on dotted lines. Write coral reef fun facts inside the file folders. Fun Fact Fun Fact Fun Fact Fun Fact

23 Directions: Cut (book on next page) on solid lines making two tall rectangles. Fold each at center line. Glue story rectangle into cover. Cut out pictures and glue into the correct places.

24 An Interesting Tale: The Parrotfish The has a beak like a. It comes in handy while searching for its favorite food on the which is algae. The algae is stuck to the coral so the nibbles off pieces of coral. It does not need the coral and so it passes through and exits its body as which ends up on tropical around the world.

25 I throw myself to the left. I throw myself to the right. I am the fish Who glides in the water, who glides, Who twists himself, who leaps. Everything lives, everything dances, everything sings. --African Pygmy

26 Types of Reefs Cut apart the four rectangles. Stack and staple them on the left side so that it opens like a book. Have child draw the reefs in the proper locations around and near the islands. If appropriate, have child color the picture indicating shallow water with light blue and deeper water with dark blue. Island Island Island Atoll Fringing Reef Barrier Reef

27 Are the Coral Reefs? Where In the World Cut Book out as one piece on solid lines. Fold shutter style on dotted lines. Glue map under shutters. Color in the appropriate locations.

28 glue here Cut around outside solid line. Fold outer dotted lines to form a diamond. Under each flap have child write a reason that we need coral reefs.

29 Cut on solid lines. Fold both sides in on dotted lines, and then fold in half on dotted line so cover is on top. Not So Fishy Characteristics Glue here Something s Fishy Fishy Characteristics Cut out the rectangle above on the solid lines. Then fold on the dotted lines. Glue to lapbook where indicated. Cut apart individual characteristics at right and glue them under the proper heading. On the other side of the fishy page have your child draw a fish. On the other side of the not so fishy side have your child draw a sea creature which is not a fish. Vertebrate Invertebrate Skin Fur Scales Lays Jellylike Eggs Lays Hardshell Eggs Births Live Young Moves with Legs Moves with Fins Lives on Land Lives Underwater Breathes with Gills Breathes with Lung

30 Fast Facts About the Great Barrier Reef Cut out each shape and staple together to make a shape booklet. Fill in the correct answers. Use the blank pages to add additional facts you ve learned. The Great Barrier Reef lies northeast of what country?

31 How long is the Great Barrier Reef? How many species of coral live there?

32 How many smaller reefs make up the Great Barrier Reef? How many species of fish live there?

33

34 Cut out the triangle. Cut out the 6 squares. Glue the plant/animal squares into the appropriate level of the Energy Pyramid. You may need to trim the shark to fit. Shark Parrotfish Zooplankton Algae Kelp Phytoplankton Carnivores- Secondary Producers Herbivores-Primary Consumers Plants-Primary Producers

35 What do Anemone Fish do for Anemones? What do Anemones do for Anemone Fish? Glue Here Cut rectangle along the solid lines. Fold along the dotted lines. Write the answers under the correct flap.

36 Cut out as one piece on solid lines. Fold on dotted lines so cover is on top. Cut out flaps on solid lines. Cut out rectangles of 6 pictures and 6 explanations. Under each flap, glue the proper picture and explanation of the defense. Eyespot Black Stripe Poisonous Stingers Camouflage glue here Fish Defenses Appearing Larger Schools

37 Some fish have black spots toward the backs of their bodies. Predators mistake it for their eyes and attack the wrong end of the fish allowing the fish to escape. Some fish have black stripes covering their eyes leaving predators wondering which end to attack. Some fish have poisonous stingers to protect themselves from predators. Some fish have special features which allow them to blend very well in their environments. Some fish travel in groups, called schools, for protection. Large schools of moving fish often confuse their predators. Some fish are able to inflate themselves which makes them appear larger and possibly too large for a predator to eat.