Joel G.

Kaleigh M.

Kristina J.

Matthew G.

Noah E. P.

•As the Pacific plate moves, magma is projected up through what is called a hotspot, where 7.2 billion years ago, the NWHI were and where, today, the seamount Lo’ihi is being created

Lo’ihi’sformation

•An atoll is the last stage of an island’s life, billions of years after its creation •The island moves Northwest from the hotspot causing it to sink, erode and be surrounded by a circular reef that houses a lagoon•Many of the NWHI are at this stage in their lives, while the islands of he main chain are not

Kure Atoll

Midway Atoll

• Sunlight availability is significant in that it is necessary for photosynthesis in plants, who create energy that is passed throughout the entire ecosystem through food webs• Reefs grow most potently when they exist in water with temperatures between 25 and 29 degrees Celsius

Ocean temperature around the

world

MacKenzie, Debbie. "Fish Eggs-The Perfect Food?." The Starving Ocean Feb 2002 14 Oct 2007 <http://www.fisherycrisis.com/fisheggs.html>.

All ecosystems in Hawaii depend on each other, and the reef is no exception. Pupukea reef is still under speculation whether it is healthy or not, and what we did was find out whether it is or not.

Fish 1 swam around the reef and documented species of fish seen. We also estimated the size of the species seen.

78 percent of the fish that fish 1 was supposed to see, were seen

78%

22%

SeenNot Seen

Fish 2 swam around the reef as well documenting the species seen. They didn’t have to record fish size though.

Fish 2 found only 52 percent of the species that should have been at the reef. None of the eels that should have been there were seen, and it is bad that predators are not there.

52%

48%

SeenNot Seen

• Recorded coral, algae, and smaller species•In each quadrant there were at least Limu Kohu, Zooanthid, and Brown Lobe Coral•This meaning that they are the commonly-found species in the coral reefs •This analysis shows that there aren’t many species evenly distributed

Average of Species within a Quadrat

0123456

Lim

u Ko

hu

Gree

n bu

bble

Spon

ges

(zoo

anth

id)

Brow

n lo

be

Pork

chop

cora

l

Plat

yhel

min

thes

Spag

hetti

wor

m

Snak

ehad

cow

ry

Oct

opus

sp.

Rock

bor

ing

Penc

il ur

chin

Crow

n of

Plum

p se

a

Spin

y lo

bste

r

Band

ed co

ral

Rock

Alga

e

Species

Amou

nt

Average

Our team’s conclusion for Pupukea was that it was a pretty healthy ecosystem. It had fairly diverse species distributed throughout the entire reef. It also had good energy flow in both benthic and fish areas. The only thing that the reef lacked was top-level predators. In all, Pupukea has every essential part relating to a functional ecosystem.

1. Marine Debris2. People standing in the reef and smothering it3. Disease that is spreading through the ecosystem4. Coral Mining5. Quick change in Climate6. Sedimentation caused by construction7. Careless Boating and other ocean activities

1.Makai Watch – neighborhood watch program

2.Educating public on harmful actions through ocean seminars

3.Beach Cleanups

Kristina- Benthic and findings, pictures

Noah- FYI, pictures

Kaleigh- Threats and Protection Attempts, Pictures

Matthew- Conclusion

Joel- Fish 1 and 2, Pictures, Problem, Energy Flow