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| Coral Reef World Map |
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GENERAL CLASSIFICATION/CLIMATE:
Coral reefs are around the equator of the earth because that's the hottest region. They are generally found in clear shallow
water because the coral needs lots of sunlight. The coral reefs need lots of sunlight because the algae that lives in the
coral and gives the coral nutrients to live on. The islands and land around coral reefs often have Tropical Rainforests. The
most spectacular looking fish are in coral reefs but they are usually the most harmful because the bright colours are warnings.
CLIMATE:
Coral reefs are near the equator, which means that during the Wet Season there are lots of Tropical Cyclones and Tropical
Hurricanes. The temperature in the water is about 20º-25º C. The coral reefs need lots of sunlight because the algae that
feeds the coral chlorophyll which is what coral lives on needs lots of exposure to the sun to live.
7 PLANTS:
1. Coralline algae
2. Calcareous algae
3. Zooxanthellae algae
4. Turtle grass
5. Manatee grass
6. Shoal grass
7. Mangrove (only on edges of land)
7 ANIMALS:
1. Clown fish
2. Coral
3. Spanish Dancer
4. Parrot Fish
5. Reef Shark
6. Maori Wrasse
7. Wobbegong Shark
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Coral Reef Conservation Guide for the Military, P.S. Lobel, 1998, https://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/ES-Programs/Conservation/Legacy/Coral/coral.html
Marine Invertebrates & Marine Plants, 2003, Australian Institute of Marine Science,
http://www.reeffutures.org/topics/monitoring/plants.cfm
Do Australia: Photos of the Great Barrier Reef, 2000 - 2005,
http://www.doaustralia.com/PhotoAlbums/BarrierReef/GBR1.htm
Volunteer vacationers moniter coral blacch on Australia's Great Barrier Reef,2004,Travel with a challenge,
http://www.travelwithachallenge.com/Australia-Coral-Bleaching.htm
DISCOVER AND LEARN VOLUME 6---Amazing Facts about Australian Marine Life, Steve Parish & Pat Slater,Steve Parish Publishing
Pty Ltd,1997,Fortitute Valley, Queensland, Australia
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