Coral Reefs and Human Activity

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• Coral Reefs and Human Activity
• Keerthi Potluri and Tina Stancheva
• Human Nature, Technology
• and the Environment
• April 15, 2003

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Coral Reefs- Background

• ecosystem- high biodiversity
• types of coral reefs

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Worldwide Distribution

• endemic to the Tropics

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Structure of Coral Reefs

• hard skeleton- deposited CO2
• coral polyps
• zooxanthellae-
• microscopic algae

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Habitat Requirements

• warm temperature- 20-28O C
• sunlight for photosynthesis
• clear water
• high salinity, low CO2
• hard substrate

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Importance

• preserve biodiversity
• potential scientific/medicinal use
• prevent erosion
• food source
• tourism

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Anthropogenic Threats

• fishing
• human expansion
• sewage- nutrient-rich H2O
• invasive species
• pollution

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Oil Spills

• direct damage
• bioaccumulation
• interruption of growth
• long recovery process

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Natural Disturbances

• tropical storms
• hurricanes
• global warming-
• weather patterns
• levels of CO2
• ocean circulation

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Bleaching

• loss of zooxanthellae
• small chance of recovery

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What can we do to preserve coral reefs?

• more research
• control fishing
• restrict human development- mining,
  deforestation
• stop coastal water pollution
• establish marine reserves

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Controversial Issues

• tourism- good and bad
• regulations on coral reef use
• natural recovery
• local vs. global damage