Coral Reef Final Presentation-Final

Coral Reefs
Done by: Latisha Gonzalez, Ivelis Perez, Keisha Coye, Candice Ferguson,
Earl Requena, Jason Tingling
Coral reefs
• Coral reefs are underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building
corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by
calcium carbonate. Most Coral reefs are build from stony corals,
whose polyps cluster in groups.
• Coral belongs to the Anthozoa in the animal phylum cnidaria, which

includes sea anemones and jellyfish. Unlike anemones, coral secrete
hard carbonate exoskeletons that support and protect the coral. Most
reefs grows best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and agitated water.
Abiotic conditions of the ecosystem
• For aquatic ecosystem the abiotic conditions found in their ecosystem
are light levels, water flow rate, temperature, dissolved oxygen
(oxygen dissolved in the water), pH, turbidity (amount of water
cloudiness), salinity (salt concentration), and available nutrients
(nitrogen, phosphorous, etc.).
Flora and Fauna found in the ecosystem
• Below are examples of adaptions seen in the flora and fauna found
within the ecosystem (Belize):
• Flora: Zooxanthellae, algae, sea grass, and algae.
• Fauna: spotted eagle ray, whale shark, killer whales, dolphins,

conches, seahorses, eels, jellyfish, octopuses, fish, lobster, worms, sea
urchins, sea stars, and shrimp.
Where can it be found in Belize?
• Coral reefs can be found at the Belize Barrier reef.
• Many of Belize’s most popular islands are situated in and around the
Belize Barrier Reef, which includes Ambergris Caye, Caye Chapel,
English Caye, Three Corner Caye, Blackbird Caye, Maho Caye, Gladden
Caye, St. George’s Caye, Raguana Caye, and Long Caye.
Location of the Coral Reefs in Belize
Benefits derived from this ecosystem
• The Coral reef ecosystem protects the coastlines from storms and
erosion.
• Provides job for local communities.
• Provides food.
• Offer opportunities for recreation.
• Great for tourist attraction which builds the economy.
They are four main types of reefs in Belize
• Frigging reef- it is one of the most common type of coral reef. It is
distinct in that it grows outwards from the shoreline and is typically
more common in areas with many islands.
Barrier Reef
• A barrier reef runs parallel to the shoreline with a deep channel of
water separating it from the coast. The Belize Barrier reef near San
Pedro is composed of over 900 islands with an expansive variety of
marine life.
Atolls
• Atolls are rings of coral which form what are known as lagoons out in
the middle of the sea. When lan surrounded by a frigging reefs begins
to sink, atolls begin to form. Located about one hour from Caye
Caulker by boat, Turneffe Atoll is the largest and most biologically
diverse atoll in Belize.
Platform reef
• A platform reef are oval shaped reefs between the barrier reef and
the mainland.
Endangered species in the Coral Reef
ecosystem
• Belize’s Barrier reef is also an important habitat for endangered species, such as
green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtle in addition to the American marine
crocodile and West Indian Manatee just to name a few.
• The West Indian Manatee or “sea cow”, also known as North American manatee
is the largest surviving member of the aquatic mammal. The West Indian
Manatee is a species distinct from the Amazonian Manatee.
• The West Indian Manatee was placed on the Endangered Species List in the
1970s, hence there were only several hundred left.
• The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) status of the West
Indian Manatee is at 3.1.
Anthropogenic impacts incurred by the
ecosystem
• Human activities affect the marine ecosystems as a result of pollution,
overfishing, the introduction of invasive species, and acidification,
which all impact on the marine food web and may lead to largely
unknown consequence for the biodiversity and survival of the marine
life forms.
A organization working towards the
conservation of this ecosystem in Belize
• Green Reef is a non-profit, non- governmental membership
organization dedicated to the protection of the environment and for
the conservation of the Belize Barrier Reef and the associated marine
environment in order to maintain the integrity of the ecosystem for
the benefit of all humans.
Conservation measures
• Green reef purchased approximately twenty reef mooring buoys. The
buoys will replace some of the fifty original buoys that Green Reef had
installed at various local diving site. A large number of these buoys were
lost to either Hurricane Mitch or Hurricane Keith.
• The mooring buoy system is designed to protect coral reefs from anchor
destruction by embedded a stainless mooring pin into the hard substrate
within the coral reef and attaching a floating buoy.
• This system causes every little disturbance to the surrounding habitat and
provides easier anchoring for dive operation and fisherman.
• Mooring buoys. West Indian Manatee
Pictures of the coral reefs in Belize
Zooxanthella
• We would like to thank our sources:

• Www.google.com
• https://ambergriscaye.com
• Https://www.sanpedrosun.com
• www.belizeinfocenter.org

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What are the main abiotic conditions that coral reefs require?

What are some examples of flora and fauna found in Belizean coral reefs?

Coral Reefs

• Coral belongs to the Anthozoa in the animal phylum cnidaria, which

• Flora: Zooxanthellae, algae, sea grass, and algae.

• Fauna: spotted eagle ray, whale shark, killer whales, dolphins,

• We would like to thank our sources:

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