Biology

• Biotic factors: Are the living or once living organisms of an ecosystem.
• Biotic factors: Producers, consumers, decomposers, or scavengers
• Abiotic factors: Are the non-living parts of an ecosystem.
• Abiotic factors; Refer to substances that have never lived and do not have a life cycle
• Producers: Are organisms that make their own food or energy, through photosynthesis
• Consumer; Are organisms that cannot make their own food. They get their energy or food from eating other organisms
• Decomposers: Are organisms that break down or eats decaying material for its energy source
• Predator and prey relationship: Predator is a species that hunts and kills other species. Prey is a species that is hunted and eaten by a predator.
• Competitors: If two organisms eat the same sort of food, and lives in the same habitat they are competitors. The compete for food and territory.
• Food chains: Shows how each living things gets its food. Beings with a producer, then follows down the chain with consumers
• Arrows meaning in food chains: Shows the direction of the energy flow from organism to organism. Always points in the direction where energy flows. (Flow of energy)
• Food webs: is a group of interrelated food chains. Food webs shows all the predators and prey relationship within an ecosystem
• Herbivores: Organisms that only eat plants, they are the 1st order consumer/Primary
• Omnivores: Eat both plants and animals, they are the 2nd order consumer/Secondary
• Carnivore: Organisms that only eat meat, they are the 3rd order consumer/Tertiary
• Conditions for coral reefs:

  Water temps of 23-25 degrees

  Shallow waters, and plenty of sunlight

  No exposure during low tide

  Clear, sediment free water

  Hard substrate

  Salinity of 32-38 ppt
• Types of reefs:

  Reefs growing close to the shore are called Fringing Reefs

  Reefs that are separated from the shore by a lagoon are called Barrier Reefs.

  Reefs that surround a lagoon but have little to no land are Atolls, overtime volcanic islands disappear from erosion or sinking, the reef remains.
• Zones of reefs:

  Lagoons gradually builds higher making a Back Reef, with increasing coral cover, until it reaches its highest point the Reef Crest.

  Waves break down over the Crest.

  From the Crest the reef drops off into deep water, the Fore Reef sometimes forming a Wall of Coral.
• Information about Coral:

  Coral have Polyps which are animals belonging to the Phylum Cnidaria.

  They are characterized by stinging tentacles and symbiotic algae.

  They use their tentacles to capture prey.

  Larval Corals attach to hard substrate by a basal plate and then grow a colony by budding (Cloning)

  Polyps have Zooxanthellae (Algae) living within their tissue, which need sunlight to produce photosynthesis.

  Coral provides nutrients and Co2 and Algae provides sugar and lipids.

  This makes them have a Mutual-ism relationship, they cannot live without each other.
• Types of Coral:

  Hard and soft, soft coral don't have a calcified skeleton and don't have a relationship with Zooxanthellae unlike the hard coral.
• How do coral reproduce:

  Sexual reproduction, spawning of eggs and sperm allows for larvae to drift and settle new reefs.

  Asexual reproduction, budding of parent coral polyps clones itself and colonies are formed. This allows the coral to expand or grow outwards.
• Importance of coral reefs:

  Reefs protect shorelines from erosion, they absorb 97% of wave energy and reduces wave heights.

  Biodiversity, corals are home to over 25% of all marine life.

  Food source, some nations depend on almost entirely on reefs for their protein.

  recreation and tourism, reef tours can make up to $35 billion each year.
• The negative side of coral reefs:

  Reef Erosion, is when coral loses more of its skeleton per year than gaining.

  Ocean Acidification, reduces the ability to absorb the carbonate they need to build calyxes, this causes more Co2 in the atmosphere.

  Change in temperature, lead to coral bleaching, the polyps reject the Zooxanthellae making it have a lack if nutrients and die.

  Strong storms and human interaction, can break pieces of coral and destroy the reefs.

  Excess sediments or nutrients, can decrease the clarity and light penetration making it hard for photosynthesis to take place.
• Ways we can help coral reefs:

  Artificial Reefs, can restore biodiversity they are made from hard substrates for corals to establish colonies in a new location.

  Coral Farming, branching of corals are grown on a farm, and then relocated onto a reef.
• List 5 reasons why Coral Reefs are important:

  1. They give organisms a place to live
  2. They protect shorelines from erosion
  3. Home to over 25% of marine life
  4. They have a high biodiversity
  5. Provides food for humans and fish
• 3 ways humans have an negative impact:

  1. Tourism, this can cause people to break or touch the marine life or the coral, this can destroy or harm them
  2. Over fishing, can cause a decrease of fish who live there, and can impact other organisms food source
  3. Pollution, rubbish that isn't thrown out properly might get washed into the ocean, this can lead to the harming of coral and fishes.
• Bao Buns: