Tropical Coral Reefs
By:Giovanni Ketchersid and Jonathan Ramirez
The Coral Reefs
Biotic Factors
Producers:.
Phytoplankton, Coralline Algae, Filamentous Turf Algae, Zooxanthellae (creates a symbiotic relationship with the coral), and many species of seaweed
Consumers:
Primary- The most abundant primary consumer is Zooplankton.Other examples of primary consumers are invertebrate larvae,bivalves, gastropods, tunicates, sponges, polychaete and feather duster worms,some,corals,sea urchins,some crabs,green sea turtles,and herbivorous fish.
Secondary- Four main groups- coral feeders (divided into four sub-groups based on the type of coral they eat), benthic feeders (ex-mussels, gastropods, and worms), fish feeders (mostly made up of other larger fish), and plankton feeders (sessile animals such as coral).
Tertiary- Large reef fish such as dolphins and seals.
Abiotic Factors
Temperature and sunlight are two abiotic factors found in nearly every ecosystem, but since the Great Barrier Reef is an aquatic ecosystem, it has some additional abiotic components, including buoyancy, viscosity, light penetration, salts, gases and water density. Buoyancy refers to the force that supports the weight of an organism. Viscosity is the resistance to the movement of sea water. These two abiotic factors contribute to the movement of fish and sea mammals. Light penetrates the ocean surface only about 20 meters. There is much more salt in the Great Barrier Reef than in a freshwater ecosystem, and some biotic components that live near estuaries, where fresh water mixes with salt water, have to deal with changing amounts of salt in the water. Water contains less oxygen than the air. Also, the density of water in the Great Barrier Reef changes with depth, which changes the biotic components that can live in a given depth.
Human Impacts on Tropical Coral Reefs
Classification of the Blacktip Reef Shark
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Chondrichthyes
Order - CarcharhiniformesFamily - Carcharhinidae
Genus - Carcharhinus
Species - Melanopterus
Food Web for Tropical Coral Reefs
Black Tip Reef Shark
- Only Apex predator
- Eats the barracuda
- Eats the butterfly fish
- Part of the consumer side
- Eats the squid
Barracuda
- Part of the Consumer selection
- Eats the pufferfish
Squid
- Part of the Consumer Selection
- Eats the Butterfly fish
- Eats the Damsel Fish
Sting Ray
- Part of the Consumer selection
- Eats the pattor fish
Butterfly Fis
- Part of the Consumer selection
- Eats the Damsel fish
Damsel Fish
- Part of the Consumer selection
- Eats the parrot fish
Parrot fish
- Part of the Consumer selection
- Eats the coral with specialized teeth
Pufferfish
- Last fish of the Consumer selection
- Also eats the Coral
Coral
- Part of the producer selection
- Provides food for the Parrot and Pufferfish
Sponge
- Part of the producer selection
- Eats the Zooplankton when caught on the sponge
Algae
- Part of the producer selection
- Algae has no food source or no fish eats the algae
- Algae causes problems in the environment
Zooplankton
- Part of the Decomposer selection
- Food source for the sponge
Phitoplankton
- Last decomposer of the decomposer selection
- Food source for the Zooplankton