Did you know?

• There are 30 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises who live in or visit the Great Barrier Reef
• Some of the largest populations of dugongs live in the Great Barrier Reef
• Over 200 species of birds live on the Great Barrier Reef cays
• Six species of sea turtles live in the Great Barrier Reef
•  There are 14 species of sea snakes in the Great Barrier Reef 
• There are 5,000 species of molluscs in the Great Barrier Reef
• There are 400 species of coral in the Great Barrier Reef
• There are 500 species of seaweed & marine algae in the Great Barrier Reef 
• The Great Barrier Reef consists of approximately 2,900 separate coral reefs
• There are about 1,500 to 2,000 species of reef fish on the Great Barrier Reef.
• A variety of worms live in the Great Barrier Reef
• Some corals are consumers
• They eat zooplankton or small fishes. Others consume organic debris.
• Coral polyps are generally nocturnal feeders.
• Some corals release strands of mucus to collect organic particles for food.
• A polyp gets rid of solid wastes through its mouth.
• The stomach cavities of colonial corals are interconnected. Food obtained by one polyp can be passed to other polyps in the colony.

Food Web

In any marine ecosystem the food chain is like this:

An example of one for a coral reef is:

Producers & Consumers

~~~~UNDERWATER~~~~

PRODUCERS:

• Algae
• Sea Grasses
• Sea Lillies
• Reef building Corals
• Phytoplankton

CONSUMERS:

• Anemone
• Corals
• Polyps
• Fish
• Turtles
• Saesnakes
• Saltwater Crocodiles
• Sponges
• Molluscs
• Echinoderms
• Crustaceans
• Eels
• Sharks
• Manta Rays
• Dugongs
• Detritus

Biotic Factors in a Reef Ecosystem

Living things are important to a reef ecosytem:

• The Animals:
• There are many species of fish, turtles, corals, molluscs, seasnakes, sponges, polyps.
• The Plants:
• Algae, Coral, anemone, sea grassess, sae lillies.
• Parasites:
• Many parasites feed off of corals and fish living in this ecosystem.

Aboitic Factors of a Coral Reef

In order for a Coral Reef to thrive it needs certian nonliving resorces:

• Temperature:
•  Reef-building corals require warm ocean temperatures .
• Nutrients:
• Precipitation of calcium from the water is necessary to form a coral polyp's skeleton.
• Corals need clear water so that sunlight can reach the coral.
• Sunlight:
• Producers need sunlight to make food.
• Depth:
• Corals need to live at depth of at least 60 meters.
• Waves:
• Water movement brings food through the water
• Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide circulate through the water
• Sand and Rocks:
• The ground layer of the ocean

For more: http://spressivo.com/isa/coralreef/abiotic.htm

Spotlight: Cleaner Wrasse

The Cleaner Wrasse (or Blue Streak Wrasse) is a special type of fish, and probably one of the most interesting fish in the Reef ecosystem. Cleaner Wrasses eat parasite living in other fish. They rely on the parasites for the majority of their nutrition. They usually live about 1 to 30 meters under the surface and can grow up to 5.5 inches long. Cleaner Wrasses are carnivorous and rely on symbiotic relationships with other fish.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Actinopterygii
• Order: Perciformes
• Family: Labridae