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Coral reefs lecture outline

Coral reefs lecture outline. Basic ecology, global distribution, and structure of coral reefs Seagrass beds and Mangrove forests Ecosystem goods and services provided by coral reefs Threats to coral reefs. (Courtesy: John Bruno). Session 5: Coral Reefs

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Coral reefs lecture outline

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  1. Coral reefs lecture outline • Basic ecology, global distribution, and structure of coral reefs • Seagrass beds and Mangrove forests • Ecosystem goods and services provided by coral reefs • Threats to coral reefs (Courtesy: John Bruno) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.1, Lecture Outline

  2. Global distribution of coral reefs Reef-building corals require clear, warm waters, with plenty of light and minimal nutrients Global distribution of coral reefs (Courtesy: Elizabeth Selig) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5. 2, Global Distribution of Coral Reefs

  3. Biology of corals A coral colony and a close up image of coral polyps (Courtesy: John Bruno) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.3, Coral Biology and Morphology

  4. Some examples of tropical coral morphology Branching corals (Courtesy: John Bruno) Boulder corals (Courtesy: John Bruno) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5. 4, Coral Morphology

  5. Reef zonation: the backreef the backreef zone Aerial photograph of a Mexican reef (Courtesy: Conrad Neumann) A backreef patch reef (Courtesy: Conrad Neumann) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.5, Reef Zonation: the Backreef

  6. Reef zonation: the reef crest • high energy environment • dominated by coralline algae A reef crest (Courtesy: Conrad Neumann) A reef crest-note surge channels (Courtesy: Conrad Neumann) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.6, Reef Zonation: the ReefCrest

  7. Reef zonation: the forereef Staghorn coral (Courtesy: John Bruno) Elkhorn coral (Courtesy: John Bruno) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5. 7, Reef Zonation: the Forereef

  8. Who lives on a reef? Coral reefs are inhabited by thousands of species including: Fish Sea turtles Sharks and rays Urchins and star fish Worms Crabs and lobster Snails Clams, scallops, and barnacles Sea slugs Algae Sponges Soft corals Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5. 8, Reef Inhabitants

  9. Seagrass beds A backreef seagrass bed (Courtesy: John Bruno) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5. 9, Seagrass Beds

  10. Mangrove forests A mangrove forest (Courtesy: John Bruno) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.10, Mangrove Forests

  11. Ecosystem goods and services provided by reefs • Storm buffers • Tourism • $1.6 billion/year in the Florida Keys • $8.9 billion/year in the Caribbean • Fishing • Coral reef fisheries account for: • 10% of fish harvest in tropical countries • 25% of fish catch in developing countries • 90% of protein consumed by people on Pacific islands • Biodiversity and bioprospecting Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.11, Some Examples of Ecosystem Services Provided by Reefs

  12. Coral reef decline • Some of the recent changes to coral reefs: • decline in coral cover and reef heterogeneity • loss of large vertebrates • overexploitation of fish and invertebrates • increase in macroalgal cover A Jamaican reef dominated by macroalgae (Courtesy: John Bruno) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.12, Some of the recent changes in coral reefs

  13. Caribbean coral reef decline On average, coral cover in the Caribbean decreased from 60% to 10% over the last 20 years. Meta-analysis of 263 Caribbean sites from 65 studies (Gardener et al. 2003) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.13, Caribbean Reef Decline Case study

  14. Threats to coral reef health: overfishing A Jamaican fish trap: few large fish remain on the reef and the catch is usually fish more suitable for an aquarium than a dinner plate. (Courtesy: John Bruno) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.14, Overfishing on Coral Reefs

  15. Threats to coral reef health: disease outbreaks A boulder coral infected with yellow band disease-caused by a bacterial pathogen (Courtesy: John Bruno) A sea fan with aspergillosis-a fungal infection (Courtesy: John Bruno) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.15, Coral Disease Outbreaks

  16. Threats to coral reef health: increasing ocean temperature Increases in Caribbean Sea Surface Temperature (Puerto Rico1966-1995) Severe bleaching events 0.7°C increase in 30 years Winter et al. 1998 Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.16, Iincreasing Ocean Temperatures and Coral Bleaching

  17. Threats to coral reef health: small scale threats • anchors • ship groundings • divers and snorkelers • coastal development • collecting A snorkeler standing on a coral (Courtesy: Conrad Neumann) Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.17, Smaller Scale Threats to Coral Reef Health

  18. Mitigating the threats to coral reef health Are there any realistic solutions to managing coral reefs? There are several causal factors that operate at different spatial scales. What are some potential management strategies? Session 5: Coral Reefs Coastal Hazards Management Course Slide 5.18, Managing Coral Reef Ecosystems

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