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The Living Reef
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/
product_detail.aspx?
id=10.2505/7/SCB-CRE.1.1
This tutorial presents the unique and diverse ecosystem of the coral reef. Coral reefs are complex systems that create some of the largest structures on Earth. Thousands of coral species exist in oceans worldwide. As they grow, reefs provide structural habitats for hundreds to thousands of different organisms.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify coral polyp structures and describe their functions.
- Describe photosynthesis in the coral environment.
- Describe the evolution of a typical reef system.
- Use the shape of an individual coral to identify its common name, and classify entire coral reef ecosystems based on shape and location.
- Describe the process of coral polyp reproduction and growth.
- Identify how the features and/or behavioral strategies of coral reef inhabitants enable them to survive in coral reef environments.
The Abiotic Setting
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/
product_detail.aspx?
id=10.2505/7/SCB-CRE.2.1
This tutorial investigates the abiotic characteristics that affect coral reef ecosystems. The number and kinds of organisms found along each reef depend on the physical conditions of the environment and resources available, including food, light, water quality, temperature, and other organisms living in and around the reef. If conditions change significantly due to changes in climate, loss of food sources, excessive predation, or loss of habitat, the health and stability of the ecosystem will be affected.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the characteristics of an ecosystem and describe the interdependence between biotic and abiotic features in an ecosystem.
- Describe how the following abiotic factors provide corals with the energy needed to survive and grow within their ecosystem (sunlight, water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide).
- Describe the optimal environmental conditions for coral reef growth and explain the process of coral reef development (including the role of available sunlight and calcium).
- Explain how the following environmental factors might affect coral ecosystems: increases in dissolved carbon dioxide, changes in global temperatures, and increases in ocean water turbidity because of water pollution.
Interdependence
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/
product_detail.aspx?
id=10.2505/7/SCB-CRE.3.1
This tutorial explores the interdependent relationships between species in the coral reef ecosystem. All populations in the reef ecosystem are a part of and depend on a global food web through which energy flows in one direction, from the sun into each organism and eventually dissipating into the environment as heat. This food web includes ocean plants, the animals that feed on them, and the animals that feed on those animals. Energy is transferred between organisms and their environment along the way with energy concentration diminishing at each step. The cycles of life continue indefinitely because organisms decompose after death and return food materials to the environment.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and label key components of food chains and food webs in a coral reef ecosystem.
- Describe key relationships among plants and animals in the coral reef ecosystem including predator and prey relationships, producer and consumer relationships, and symbiotic relationships (mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism).
- Recognize the direction that energy travels through food chains and food webs.
- Explain that materials (e.g., chemical elements) and natural resources are recycled in coral reef ecosystems and reappear in different forms.
- Describe the primary ecological succession events within a typical coral reef ecosystem.
Ecosystems in Crisis
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/
product_detail.aspx?
id=10.2505/7/SCB-CRE.4.1
This tutorial explores the natural and human causes of stress on coral reef ecosystems. Humans influence coral ecosystems in a variety of ways. Increasing amounts of stress are brought on these ecosystems as humans continue to modify the surrounding environment as a result of population growth, technology, and consumption. Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors are threatening the stability and overall health of many coral reefs. Human activities may also exacerbate the impact of natural disturbances on coral reefs or compromise the ability of the reef to recover from events such as hurricanes, tsunamis, or disease.
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe ways in which human activities resource and recreational uses directly impact coral reef ecosystems.
- Describe ways in which human activities indirectly impact coral reef ecosystems (e.g., by changing the physical conditions, pollution, or changes in the water chemistry).
- Explain how human activity may decrease the ability of coral reefs to recover from natural occurrences.
- Explain the effects of increased predation or disease on a reef ecosystem.
- Describe the effect of habitat loss on the reef ecosystem.
- Describe the effects of weather and climate change on a healthy or weakened reef ecosystem.
