Student Exploration: Coral Reefs 1 – Abiotic Factors
Vocabulary: consumer, coral, coral bleaching, coral reef, filter feeder, food chain, food web,
grazer, nutrients, ocean acidification, pH, plankton, predator, produc
...
Student Exploration: Coral Reefs 1 – Abiotic Factors
Vocabulary: consumer, coral, coral bleaching, coral reef, filter feeder, food chain, food web,
grazer, nutrients, ocean acidification, pH, plankton, predator, producer, sediment, zooxanthellae
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE
using the Gizmo.)
1. Look at the graph to the right. What does it show?
2. Why do you think corals have declined since 1977? massive harbor construction
and suboptimal land management practices on the watershed. More
recently, corrective measures in the form of watershed stabilization and
fishing regulations have been implemented.
Gizmo Warm-up
Coral reefs are some of the most diverse habitats on
Earth, home to over a quarter of all marine species. The
Coral Reefs Gizmo provides a simplified model of
interactions among 10 key species in Caribbean reefs. In
the Coral Reefs 1 exploration, you will focus on the effects
of environmental factors on Caribbean reefs.
1. Click Advance year 10 times. Look carefully at the composition of the reef over time. Do
you see any major changes? No everything looks the same
2. Select the DATA tab. Check that Staghorn coral, Star coral, Sponges, and Algae are
selected. Populations are given as a percentage of normal populations.
What do you notice about these populations?
3. On the right side of the Gizmo, select the SUMMARY tab. In a healthy reef, what are the
values for Nutrient load, Water clarity, Coral cover, and the total number of fish species?
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