kelp forests and coral gardens amanda dougherty. geography of coral reef and kelp forest locations...
Post on 16-Dec-2015
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Climate & Physical Conditions
Light Enough to support photosynthesis. Growing in
surface water with depths ranging from a few meters to 100 meters.
Temperature Needs Coral needs temperatures > 20 degrees C usually
ranging from 23 to 25 degrees C. Kelp can grow in temperatures < 10 degrees C in the
winter to rising above 20 degrees C in the summer months
Chemical Conditions Needed
Oxygen is needed for both coral and kelp to grow.
Salt Kelp can grow in areas that have less salinity
although salt is still a necessity. Coral Reefs can only grow in areas where
there is a stable salinity level. Anything below a level of 27% can be lethal. This can be caused by heavy rainfall or runoffs
Biology
Coral reefs and kelp beds are the most productive and diverse of all ecological systems. There are over 600 different kinds of coral and over
2000 species of fish living in a newly formed reef. Over 100 species of worms and over 75 species of fish
can live on 1 coral head. Kelp beds are estimated to home 800 species of
animals and about 130 species of plants and other photosynthetic organisms.
Human Influences
Kelp is harvested for food and fertilizerCoral reefs are harvested for decorationsCoral reefs are also heavily fished for food
and aquarium trades. Fish are now becoming rare.
Destructive means of fishing using dynamite and poison
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