ecology‚ Chu said. Clusters of delicate marine organisms form coral reefs in a process that may take millions of years. The reefs are built up from the calcium carbonate‚ secreted by tiny animals which secrete the bone like material as an exoskeleton. Often called the rainforests of the sea‚ coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Occupying an area around the globe half the area of France‚ reefs are home to a quarter of all marine species. Most commonly found in tropical
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Sea Stars (no longer considered called Star Fishes) are marine animals‚ part of the class Asteroidea. They are carnivorous invertebrates and can live up to 35 years. Despite the number of arms on a sea star averaging 5‚ they can grow up to 40 limbs. Sea Stars can be found almost anywhere but those located in the Pacific Ocean are getting hit with a mysterious condition. This condition starts out as a white or black lesion on the sea star’s body. From there‚ it spreads all over the body‚ causing
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Pharmaceuticals Harbors and transportation routes Coastal habitats for humans Recreation Employment Offshore oil and natural gas Minerals Building materials Types of Marine Ecosystems Estuaries Salt marshes Rocky shores Sandy Shores Coral reef Mangrove swamp Barrier islands Estuaries An area in which fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from the ocean; a transition area from the land to the ocean. Other names: bay‚ sound‚ lagoon‚ harbor‚ or bayou. Characteristics of Estuaries
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October 14‚ 2011 Warming Up to the Truth Being an avid hydrophile‚ I wanted to explore a topic that involved the world of life in the ocean. This allowed me start wondering about coral reefs inside the ocean and caused me to raise the question about how and why some of these become bleached. A number of coral reefs that have been bleached lasted such a long time as luminous organisms filled with color and beauty before suddenly turning white and dull. How does something like that last such a long
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The Nassau Grouper (scientific name: Epinephelus striatus) is a member of the grouper/seabass family (been overfished‚ and the range has been correspondingly narrowed from its historic distribution. Family Serranidae ) that lives on coral reef in the Western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Page Physical Features Nassau groupers are large fishes that range in size from 0.25 to 1.22 meters in length and can reach a maximum weight of 25 kilograms. Their thick bodies are light with
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all‚ chemicals like oxybenzone are detrimental to coral reefs. Research has found that these chemicals can kill of juvenile coral‚ cause color bleaching‚ mutate their DNA‚ and even cause the prevention of new coral buds forming (sunscreen chemical‚ 2014). And without coral reefs‚ scientists are worried about what could occur to the oceanic ecosystem. Beyond the loss of its natural beauty‚ coral reefs are an important “mini-ecosystem.” Reefs provide shelter for some fish‚ rooms for algae to grow‚
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Pei Yuan 裴淵《廣州記》over a thousand years ago: “The Shanhujhou (Coral Sandbar) is 500 li south of the county (Dongguan‚ Guangdong). People catch fish and harvest coral from the seas there”. Here “Shanhujhou” refers to Dongsha Island and its surrounding reef. According to Ching Dynasty fisherman Liang Sheng‚ by the 1860’s (Tungchih era of the Ching Dynasty) large numbers of fishermen from Guangdong and Hainan were sailing to the area to catch fish‚ harvest kelp and catch sea turtles. Factories built from
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THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF TOURISM on the ECOLOGY of JAMAICA by Elaina Kozyr BLPR 101.51 Introduction Tourism and the environment have a very complex and interdependent relationship. Today‚ tourism is one of the largest industries in today’s world economy and is a great source of foreign exchange for many developing countries‚ whose major assets are their natural resources.1 At the same time‚ it is the environmental quality of a place that will determine the success of the tourism
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What has more than 750 reefs and islands‚ has been claimed by 5 different countries‚ and has been the center of political disputes since the 1900s? Answer: the Spratly Islands‚ located off the coast of the Philippines and Malaysia. This region has been claimed by both of these nations as well as China‚ Vietnam‚ Brunei and Taiwan. Despite the political dilemma synonymous with them‚ the general American public is mostly unaware that these islands exist. What can the Spratly Islands have to offer? Combined
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I. Introduction Batangas‚ a province in the Philippines most commonly known for it being one of most the popular tourist destinations near Metro Manila. It is widely known for its many beaches and resorts where one could definitely find time to unwind and to enjoy the water through swimming‚ snorkeling‚ diving‚ and other activities. Another reason for it being a great tourist attraction is because here lays the Taal Volcano‚ a decade volcano whose crater is a lake. Aside from it being a tourist
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