Coral Reefs

Class: Anthozoa
Phylum: Cnidaria

A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem consisting of reef-building corals. Reefs are made up of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Coral belongs to the same class as sea anemones and jellyfish. Most reefs grow best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and agitated water.

KEY WORDS
ecosystem; coral polyp; colony; calcium carbonate; exoskeleton; coral bleaching; acidification; zooxanthellae; fringing reef; barrier reef; atoll; Great Barrier Reef; crustacean; crown of thorn starfish; echinoderm; eutrophication; nutrients; salinity; turbidity; symbiosis; biodiversity;

FOCUS QUESTIONS

Where are coral reefs found?
Where is the biggest coral reef in the world?
Why are coral reefs so important?
What are coral reefs made from?
What kind of marine animals live in coral reefs?
What are the main causes for the decline of coral reefs?
What is coral bleaching and what causes it?
What negative affects does sun screen have on coral reefs?
What can we do to help protect coral reefs?
What will happen to the marine ecosystem if coral reefs continue to decline?

Coral Reef Resources
Coral Reef Ecosystems - NOAA
Coral Reefs - National Geographic
Coral Reef - World Biomes
Great Barrier Reef
Corals and Coral Reefs - Smithsonian
Which rivers are polluting the Great Barrier Reef?
Great Barrier Reef - Reef Facts
Coral Reefs 101
Save the Reef - Earthwatch

Australian Curriculum Links

Science

SCIENCE
Year 6
Science Understanding: Biological Science
Students learn to:
investigate the physical conditions of a habitat and analyse how the growth and survival of living things is affected by changing physical conditions (AC9S6U01)
Elaborations:

identifying the physical conditions in an aquatic or terrestrial habitat and how they change over time
investigating how changes to physical conditions such as salinity, soil type, sunlight or temperature affect plant growth
examining how changes in physical conditions such as temperature, light availability and rainfall affect animals, such as corals, honey bees or flying foxes, and predict impacts of these changes

HASS

HASS and GEOGRAPHY
Year 8
Landscapes and landforms
Students learn about:
The interconnections between human activity and geomorphological processes, and ways of managing distinctive landscapes (AC9HG8K04)

Year 8
Skills: Concluding and decision-making
identify a strategy for action in relation to environmental, economic, social and other factors, and explain potential impacts (AC9HG8S05)
Elaboration: proposing collective action and supporting the proposal with reasons; for example, promoting community awareness of the effects of human–environmental change on significant Australian landforms such as the Great Barrier Reef.

Year 9
Geography - Knowledge and Understanding
Biomes and Food Security
the distribution and characteristics of biomes as regions with distinctive climates, soils, vegetation and productivity (AC9HG9K01)