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Introduction essay aut invasive species
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Crown of Thorns Starfish When one considers examples of “dangerous” species, some consider snakes, spiders, scorpions, bears, sharks, lions, and parasites in that category. Although they can cause humans potential harm, there are certain species that are harmful to the environment. This report will discuss a predator that can cause major destruction to coral reef colonies in the sea. The species that will be discussed, in particular, is called the Crown of Thorns Starfish or CoTS for short. Species Description Acanthaster or crown-of-thorns Starfish is a type of sea star from phylum Echinodermata and class Asteroidea. Sea stars are deuterostomes, so when developing, they have radial symmetry, regulative development, and during gastrulation,
In 1962, at 11:00:09 pm local time on July 8th, the United States detonated a thermonuclear warhead riding atop a Thor missile at 400 km above Johnston Island at a distance of 826 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii. That night was one that many on the Hawaii Islands would never forget (Berkhouse, 1962). Operation , as the test was code named by the U.S. military, caused the first damage in the United States from an electromagnetic pulse created by a nuclear detonation. Though the damage was not intended or planned, the 1.4-megaton weapon caused “the failure of street-lighting systems, tripping of circuit breakers, triggering of burglar alarms, and damage to a telecommunications relay facility.” (EMP Commission, 2004, p. 4)
The nonnative species of the lionfish, living in tropical waters to depths far below is an unseen threat by first glance. Truth behold, this fish is a serious pest since the first sighting in Dania Beach back in the 1980s. Presently, it has grown out of its bounds and causes harm not only to the sea life but trouble to humans as well. An unmatched appetite with a fast and large reproduction to spawn its species in a matter of only a short time, makes this invasive fish at the top of a sounding alarm. Clever biological adaptations have made this fish a tough fighter to the ecosystem and only in the past few years have we learned to take effective measures to control their population to save our coral reefs.
head of a hammer. Their eyes and nostrils are at the ends of the hammer. There
Coral reefs around the world are in danger. One of the causes is global warming, which has been increasing the temperature of the ocean water resulting in coral bleaching. This essay will focus on damage occurring to the Great Barrier Reef.
Lionfish are not currently listed as threatened in their native range. However, the increase in pollution in coral reefs can negatively affect the lionfish's primary food sources (NOAA, 2011). If lionfish are unable to adapt to declines in their prey species, their numbers will decrease. Although between the increasing reef pollution and the Lionfish’s voracious appetite reef populations will more than likely be damaged beyond repair, they may even be close to elimination by the time the Lionfish population actually declines (Albins, 2013).
This article discusses how important the organisms symbiotic with coral reefs are, as well as how important coral reefs are to our environment. Also explained is how natural and non natural things things like hurricanes and overfishing affects them. A study is quoted about how water acidity also plays a role in the bleaching of corals. Lastly, restoration and conservation efforts are discussed and how we could possibly help our oceans.
The world’s coral reefs are quintessential to global biodiversity, so much so that they are often referred to as the "rainforests of the sea". Although their actual space occupied by reefs is relatively small, constituting less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface, they support over 25% of all marine species on earth. They provide complex and varied marine habitats that support a wide range of other organisms including, but not limited to, fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians. Some of these animals feed directly on the corals, while others graze on algae on the reef. The reef also provides a protective habitat for many of these animals.
All over the world coral reefs play an important part in our environment. Not only are the reefs colorful and beautiful to look at but the coral reefs house several different types of fish and other sea creatures. Coral reefs have started to decline over the years due to “climate change, El Nino events, overfishing, pollution and other pressures” (Newnham 1). A healthy coral reef can also collapse due to a natural disaster (Newnham 2). There can be several different reasons why a coral reef has started to decline or has been destroyed.
Located in tropical ocean waters, coral reefs provide priceless resources to both human and marine life. The leading natural cause of destruction among the coral reefs is global warming. Other natural causes are earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. The destruction to the coral reefs from these natural disasters is minimal compared to the dangers caused by man. Man-made destruction has a much wider impact on the health of the coral reefs. This destruction includes over-fishing, damage from anchors, aquarium industry, overgrowth of seaweed, and being smothered by sediments.
Introducing exotic species has been a highly debated issue. Why should we bring another animal or plant into a region to eradicate another species? That’s the question that people have been asking for ages. Of course, there are positives to bringing in another species, but many times, there are just as many negatives. Also, these species can be introduced accidentally or intentionally. The new organism may cause no obvious problems and eventually, it will be considered “native” to the area. For example, corals are “perhaps the oldest animals on the planet, and these long-lived corals have evolved in one of the Earth’s most stable environments” (Eichenberg, p.2). If a new type of fish were to be put into the ecosystem with the corals, the coral would be affected. First, the fish might eat the coral. Second, they could use the coral for shelter, and possibly damaging it that way. Third, the fish could bring predators that might also eat the coral. Introducing an exotic species has the “rippling affect” of dropping a stone into a pool of water. Everything outside the epicenter is affected. A study was done at Cornell University, and they estimated that $120 billion per year are spent fixing the problems caused by exotic species” (Chiras, p.
Coral reefs are well known for their colorful array of marvelous sights including a parade of exotic flora and fauna. They are said to be the foundation for a quarter of marine species, and are a crucial support for human life as well. The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species (ranging from microscopic to larger-than-life in size) that interact with each other and their physical environment. If any piece of a coral reef is harmed or removed the entire community can be seriously affected, even to the point of collapse. Unfortunately, human impact has resulted in long-term stresses that, unlike the short-term stress of natural disasters, coral reefs are not as capable to recover from. “Approximately half of the world’s coral reef ecosystem resources are considered by scientists to be in 'poor' or 'fair' condition and have declined over time due to several anthropogenic threats” (“Status of Corals” par. 2). Through poorly administered commercial practices, carelessness and ignorance among the common people, and human aggravated natural processes coral reef destruction has become a serious issue afflicting the world’s biodiversity and it’s intricate biosphere mechanics (“Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef” 1) (“What Are Coral Reefs?” 1).
Why do kissing fish kiss others? You you're probably thinking it’s so they can kiss, but you’re wrong.It’s because they are having a showdown! They do it for the spot to be the dominant fish. This part of their body is what people like about the fish,but there are plenty of other amazing features about this fish. Another attraction is their color. Some of the fish are different types/colors such as “dwarf” and “balloon pink”.Balloon pink are like a hot pink color.Dwarf are like a brown color but are shorter than others. The structure of the fish is changed based on the length of any of the fins.
They are invertebrates (spineless animals) and are cousins of anemones and jellyfish. When thousands of these animals are grouped together, they are referred to as coral colonies. Each coral "tree" or "mound" is one colony of coral polyps. A polyp has a sac-like body and an opening or mouth encircled by stinging tentacles called cnidae.
In conclusion, I would like to say that before writing this paper, I had no idea how important coral reefs were to the earth. I have learned a lot and I think that if more people were informed about the positive capabilities of them, humans wouldn't be so careless about them.