Coral Reef Research & Lessons What is a Coral Reef? Coral reefs are large underwater structures made up of millions of tiny animals called coral polyps. Coral polyps look like plants but are in fact simple animals. They have a soft tube like body with a mouth surrounded by long tentacles. The tentacles grab its food. Coral reefs grow in warm tropical seas where the temperature of the water stays above 65 degrees F. Most reefs lie near the equator in shallow waters (usually 100 feet deep or less). Coral reefs are sometimes called the “rainforest of the sea” because of the enormous diversity of plants and animals. Find the locations of coral reefs around the world by doing a quick internet search. Hard Coral vs. Soft Corals Hard corals are so named because they have a stony bases and/or hard outer skeletons. Hard corals live on the seafloor and on slopes. They feed only at night and are bright and colorful during feeding. Hard corals are reef building corals. See information below in How a Reef is Formed. Soft corals do not have stony bases or outer skeletons; they are soft. They grow on overhangs and cliffs and feed during the day. They are very bright and colorful. How a Reef is Formed When the hard coral polyps die, their skeletons are left behind. New polyps attach to the skeletons and when these new polyps die, their skeletons add another layer. So a reef is built over a long period of time and consists of layers and layers of coral polyp skeletons. Speaking of Skeletons Your skeleton is on the inside of your body; your body made your bones by using minerals from the foods you eat. A hard coral’s skeleton is on the outside of its body. It is made by using chemicals it takes in from the seawater.

Our Reefs are Disappearing Sadly, our coral reefs have been disappearing. It has been estimated that we have lost 20% of the coral reefs in the world in the last 20 years. Several factors are contributing to the loss. Unfortunately, much of the blame is put on humans. 1) Over Fishing When too many of a particular species are removed from a reef, it can upset the balance of the food web at the reef and can cause parts of the reef to eventually die out. 2) Water Pollution Chemical runoff from pesticides and fertilizers eventually make it to the oceans. Many chemicals are poisonous to the creatures who live in the oceans and on the reefs. 3) Boat Anchors Anchors thrown from boats by careless captains break up the reef bit by bit. 4) Souvenirs Coral reefs are fascinating places for divers and snorkelers to visit. It is a huge industry and brings in many millions of dollars to countries near reefs. However, many tourists touch the reef or try to break off pieces for souvenirs. Why are Coral Reefs Important to Us? Besides being one of the most beautiful and fascinating places on Earth, coral reefs are important to humans for many reasons. 1) Protection Many reefs provide barriers to the coast against incoming waves. Without the reefs, shorelines would erode more quickly. 2) Medicines Many drugs and medicines have been developed from substances collected from coral reefs. If the reefs disappear, we will lose a very important medical resource. 3) Food

The coral reef teems with life. The reef provides food to many people all over the world. Of course we have to be careful never to overfish or take too many of a single species from the reef. 4) Tourism Dollars Countries located near coral reefs depend upon money generated from tourists who come to visit the reef. Without those tourists, many local people would lose their jobs. Can your child think of other reasons? Types of Reefs Atolls are circular reefs with a lagoon in the center. They are usually far from the coastline. Fringing Reefs are found close to the shore of islands and coastlines. The water between the reef and the shore is shallow. Barrier Reefs lie farther away from shore. The water between the reef and the shore is deeper (up to 100 feet) and forms a lagoon Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and perhaps the most famous reef in the world. It is located in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Australia and is home to about 340 kinds of coral and more than 2,200 species of fish. The Great Barrier Reef is more than 1,200 miles long but it is not actually one reef. It is actually many, many (about 3,000) smaller reefs located close together. What Makes a Fish a Fish? Fish are important creatures that live on the coral reef. But not all creatures that live on the reef are fish. So how do we know which creatures are fish? If you asked 30 children “What is a fish?” You would probably get 30 completely different answers. We all have different ideas of what a fish is? However, most fish do share some common characteristics. A fish is a vertebrate which means it has a backbone and an internal skeleton.

Most fish live underwater and breathe with gills. Most fish have scales and they swim using fins. Most fish lay jellylike eggs. Fish Defenses There are many different ways that fish protect themselves from predators on the reef. Here are just a few: Black Spots Some fish have black spots toward the backs of their bodies. Predators mistake it for their eyes and attack the wrong end of the fish allowing the fish to escape. Black Stripes Some fish have black stripes covering their eyes leaving predators wondering which end to attack. Poisonous Stingers Some fish have poisonous stingers to protect themselves from predators. Camouflage Some fish have special features which allow them to blend very well in their environments. Schools Some fish travel in groups, called schools, for protection. Large schools of moving fish often confuse their predators. Appearing Larger Some fish are able to “inflate” themselves which makes them appear larger and possibly too large for a predator to eat. Food Chain There are three levels to every food chain. The first or bottom level consists of plants. Plants are called primary producers. They make their own food through by using energy from the sun. The second level is made up of herbivores or animals that eat plants. Herbivores

are called primary consumers because they are the first group to consume food, or eat the primary producers or plants. The third or top level consists of carnivores or animals that eat other animals. Carnivores are called secondary consumers because they are the second group in the food chain to eat food. Carnivores may also be tertiary consumers if they have eaten another carnivore and are therefore the third group in the food chain to eat food. You can think of the food chain like an energy pyramid. On the bottom are plants that receive energy from the sun. This bottom level of the pyramid is wide to represent the many plants that are necessary to make food energy for the herbivores. The next level is the herbivores. The level is not as wide as the bottom level and shows that there are fewer herbivores than there are plants because each herbivore has to eat many plants in order to have the energy it needs to survive. The third or top level is narrowest and represents carnivores. There are fewer carnivores than herbivores because carnivores must consume many herbivores in order to have enough energy to survive. So a food chain involves plants, herbivores, and carnivores. But most plants and animals belong to more than one food chain. When two different food chains connect a food web is formed.

Animals of the Coral Reef Parrotfish Parrotfish are very brightly colored and have beaklike mouths made of “teeth” that are fused together. They are sometimes called the “cows of the sea” because they are grazers. In search of small plants called algae, parrotfish will eat the coral reef. The reef is digested and passes out of the parrotfish as sand. One parrotfish can create as much as 1,100 pounds of sand each year that ends up on tropical beaches around the world. (That's enough sand to fill 75 1-gallon pails!) Some parrotfish create a mucous blanket to surround and protect themselves at night. The mucous blanket keeps predators from picking up their smell.

Anemones and Anemone Fish Sea anemones are animals that live on the reef. They have stinging tentacles that keep most predators away. Because anemone fish, such as clown fish, have a protective coating of slime on their bodies, they can live among the anemone’s tentacles. In return for providing a safe home for them, the anemone fish clean up the anemone by eating parasites and scraps. Anemone fish also are very territorial so they drive away anemone predator fish. Anemone fish rarely stray from their homes and even lay their eggs at the base of the anemone. Giant Clams Most clams are only a few inches long, but the giant clam really is a giant measuring up to 4.8 feet long and weighing over 500 pounds! You can find a giant clam, the largest mollusk on Earth, in the warm waters of the South Pacific and Indian oceans. Once a giant clam fastens itself to a spot on a coral reef, it will sit there for the rest of its life which may be 100 years. Giant clams look alike, but no two giant clams have the same coloring! Isn't that amazing!? In order to eat and live, giant clams are dependent on algae that live in their tissues, and algae are dependent on the giant clams. The clams consume the sugars and proteins produced by the algae. In exchange, the clams offer the algae a safe home and access to sunlight which the algae need for photosynthesis. Clams also survive by consuming plankton; they use a siphon to draw in water to filter and eat passing plankton. Despite popular myth, giant clams do not eat people. Keeping it Clean Some animals in the reef help others to stay clean! The cleaner wrasse is known as the reef’s vacuum cleaner because sucks parasites, dead skin and bits of food from the fins, gills, teeth and skin of reef predators. This process keeps the wrasse fish fed and the larger fish clean! In order to let the fish know it's ready for work, the wrasse will wiggle and jiggle. When the fish see the dance, they line up for cleaning.

Cleaner shrimp do the same work as the cleaner fish. They do a dance, too, to let customers know they are open for business. One shrimp or several (or combos of cleaner shrimp and cleaner fish) share a cleaning station where sharks, moray eels, large groupers, and triggerfish wait their turns to be cleaned. A shrimp is not afraid to climb inside the mouth; the predator will not eat it! It also works on the gills, skin, mucus coating, and eyeballs.

Library List Colorful Captivating Coral Reefs by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent DK 24 Hours Coral Reef by Caroline Bingham Coral Reef Food Chains by Bobbie Kalman Eyewitness Books Fish by Steven Parker One Less Fish by Kim Michelle Toft and Allan Sheather One Small Square Coral Reef by Donald M. Silver A Coral Reef Tale: Old Shell, New Shell by Helen Ward Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes Easy Chapter Book: Magic School Bus: The Fishy Field Trip by Martin Schwabacher

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Cut pocket out as one piece. Fold back up. Wrap flaps around the back and glue down. Cut out cards. Use the cards for sorting (animal classification) or just for learning. You may want to write some facts on the back of each card.

Coral Reef

Creatures

Butterfly Fish Green Sea Turtle

Cowfish Damselfish

Manta Ray Eagle Ray

Lionfish Triggerfish

Hawkfish Goby

Sea Fan Brain Coral

Sea Whip Sea Anemone

Jellyfish Feather Star

Blue-ringed Octopus Crown-of-thorns

Starfish

Porcelain Crab Sponge Crab

Arrow Crabs Argus Sea

Cucumber

Cuttlefish Giant Clam

Cut out book as one piece. Fold matchbook style. Open. Cut on dotted line to form two flaps.

The cleaner wrasse is a fish known as the reef’s

vacuum cleaner because it sucks parasites,

dead skin and bits of food from the fins, gills,

teeth, and skin of reef predators. This process

keeps the wrasse fish fed and the larger fish

clean! In order to let the fish know it's ready for

work, the wrasse will wiggle and jiggle. When

the fish see the dance, they line up for

cleaning.

Cleaner shrimp do the same work as the cleaner

fish. They do a dance, too, to let customers

know they are open for business. One shrimp or

several (or combos of cleaner shrimp and clean-

er fish) share a cleaning station where sharks,

moray eels, large groupers, and triggerfish wait

their turns to be cleaned. A shrimp is not afraid

to climb inside the mouth; the predator will not

eat it! It also works on the gills, skin,

mucus coating, and eyeballs.

Directions: Cut and paste information and pictures in to the matchbook. The fish on the top is being cleaned by a wrasse fish. The fish on the bottom is being cleaned by a shrimp. (It’s hard to see! Can your student find it?)

Directions: Fold paper in half on dotted lines. Cut around giant clam shape. On the inside of the book, write facts about the giant clam.

My skeleton is on the

INSIDE or OUTSIDE

of my body.

My body made my bones by

Its body made its bones by

A hard coral’s skeleton is on the

INSIDE or OUTSIDE

of its body.

You are looking at the inside of the book. Fold bottom to the middle. Fold top to the middle. Glue cover pieces on the outside flaps.

Cut out book above as one piece. Fold like a matchbook.

Cut out book above as one piece. Fold in half. Use the inside to record how a coral reef is formed (or use it for whatever may suit your purpose!).

Cut

out

book a

s one p

iece

. F

old

in h

alf o

n t

he b

lack

lin

e. C

ut

on t

he d

ott

ed lin

es

to form

thre

e f

laps.

Reef Build

ing

Hard

Skele

ton o

r Sto

ny B

ase

No H

ard

Skele

ton

Bright

and C

olo

rful

Feeds

at

Nig

ht

Feeds

During D

ay

Liv

es

on S

eafloor

or

Slo

pes

Liv

es o

n O

ver

han

gs

and

Cli

ffs

Ha

rd

co

ra

l

so

ft

co

ra

l

bo

th

Cut books out on solid lines; fold on dotted lines. Write coral reef fun facts inside the file folders.

Fun

Fact

Fun

Fact

Fun

Fact

Fun

Fact

Directions: Cut (book on next page) on solid lines making two tall rectangles. Fold each at center line. Glue story rectangle into cover. Cut out pictures and glue into the correct places.

An

Inte

restin

g Ta

le:

Th

e

Pa

rr

ot

fis

h

The

ha

s a b

ea

k lik

e a

.

It co

me

s in h

an

dy w

hile

sea

rch

ing

for its

fav

orite

foo

d o

n th

e

w

hic

h is a

lga

e.

The

alg

ae

is stuc

k to

the

co

ral so

the

nib

ble

s off p

iec

es o

f co

ral. It d

oe

s no

t ne

ed

the

co

ral a

nd

so it p

asse

s thro

ug

h a

nd

exits its

bo

dy a

s

w

hic

h e

nd

s up

on

trop

ica

l

aro

un

d th

e w

orld

.

I throw myself to the left.

I throw myself to the right.

I am the fish

Who glides in the water, who glides,

Who twists himself, who leaps.

Everything lives, everything dances, everything sings.

--African Pygmy

Types of Reefs

Ato

ll

Frin

gin

g R

ee

f

Ba

rrier R

ee

f

Island

Island

Island

Cut apart the four rectangles. Stack and staple them on the left side so that it opens like a book. Have child draw the reefs in the proper locations around and near the islands. If appropriate, have child color the picture indicating shallow water with light blue and deeper water with dark blue.

Are th

e Cora

l Reefs?

Where

In th

e World

…

Cut Book out as one piece

on solid lines.

Fold shutter style on

dotted lines.

Glue map under shutters.

Color in the appropriate

locations.

Cut around outside solid

line. Fold outer dotted

lines to form a diamond.

Under each flap have

child write a reason that

we need coral reefs.

glue here

Cut on solid lines.

Fold both sides in on dotted lines, and then fold in half on dotted line so cover is on top.

Vertebrate

Births Live Young

Invertebrate

Moves with Legs

Skin

Moves with Fins

Fur

Lives on Land

Scales

Lives Underwater

Lays Jellylike Eggs

Breathes with Gills

Lays Hardshell Eggs

Breathes with Lung

Not So Fishy

Characteristics

Glue here

Something’s Fishy

Fishy

Characteristics

Cut out the rectangle above on the solid lines. Then fold on the dotted lines. Glue to lapbook where indicated. Cut apart individual characteristics at right and glue them under the proper heading. On the other side of the “fishy” page have your child draw a fish. On the other side of the “not so fishy” side have your child draw a sea creature which is not a fish.

Fast Facts About the

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef lies northeast of what country?

Cut out each shape and staple together to make a shape

booklet. Fill in the correct answers. Use the blank pages to add additional facts you’ve learned.

How long is the Great Barrier Reef?

How many species of coral live there?

How many smaller reefs make up the

Great Barrier Reef?

How many species of fish live there?

Shark

Parrotfish

Zooplankton

Algae

Kelp

Phytoplankton

Plants-Primary Producers

Herbivores-Primary Consumers

Cut out the triangle. Cut out the 6 squares. Glue the plant/animal squares into the

appropriate level of the Energy Pyramid. You may need to trim the shark to fit.

Carnivores- Secondary Producers

What d

What d

What d

What dooo o

Anemones d

Anemones d

Anemones d

Anemones do for

o for o for o for

Anemone Fish?

Anemone Fish?

Anemone Fish?

Anemone Fish?

Glu

e Here

Cut rectan

gle alo

ng th

e solid

lines. F

old

along th

e dotted

lines. W

rite the an

swers u

nder th

e correct flap

.

What d

What d

What d

What dooo o

Anemone Fish

Anemone Fish

Anemone Fish

Anemone Fish

ddd do for Anemones

o for Anemones

o for Anemones

o for Anemones??? ?

Cut out as one piece on solid lines. Fold on dotted lines so cover is on top. Cut out flaps on solid lines. Cut out rectangles of 6 pictures and 6 explanations. Under each flap, glue the proper picture and explanation of the defense.

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Eyespot

Black Stripe

Poisonous Stingers

glue here

Camouflage

Appearing Larger

Schools

Fish Defenses

Some fish have black spots toward the backs of their bodies. Predators mistake it for their eyes and attack the wrong end of the fish allowing the fish to escape.

Some fish have black stripes covering their eyes leaving predators wondering which end to attack.

Some fish have poisonous

stingers to protect themselves from predators.

Some fish have special features which allow them to blend very well in their environments.

Some fish travel in groups, called schools, for protection. Large schools of moving fish often confuse their predators.

Some fish are able to “inflate” themselves which makes them appear larger and possibly too large for a predator to eat.