ECOLSUS reviewer (Lesson 1) PDF

ENERGY FLOW AND NUTRIENT LESSON 1 CYCLING, AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Ecosystems are sustained by… ECOSYSTEM...

ENERGY FLOW AND NUTRIENT LESSON 1 CYCLING, AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Ecosystems are sustained by… ECOSYSTEM 1. Energy flow through food chains and food webs Ecosystem - A community of different 2. Nutrient cycling species interacting with one another and with their nonliving environment Energy flow in ecosystems Ex. Tropical rainforest, coral reef, wetland, grassland 1. ☀️🌱Solar energy is converted to chemical energy in carbohydrates in producers (plants or phytoplankton) through photosynthesis. The “synthesis and storage of organic molecules during the growth and reproduction of Components of an Ecosystem photosynthetic organisms” is called 🐯 primary production. Abiotic Biotic (living) 2. Chemical energy is passed on to (non-living) other organisms (consumers) at different trophic levels in the food Water Plants chain through feeding and Air Animals 🦠 decomposition. Soil Bacteria 3. Decomposers are bacteria and Nutrients Fungi Heat fungi that break down complex Solar compounds in dead organisms and energy release the nutrients to the soil, 🦅 water or air for reuse by producers. An ecosystem is like a bicycle. Its whole is 4. Detritus feeders (detritivores) greater than the sum of its parts. Each part feed on wastes or dead organisms of a bicycle has a function, but it can (e.g. mites, earthworms, vultures) function only when it is connected correctly to the other parts. If all the parts of a bicycle are connected correctly, you will be able to ride your bike. 1 Energy Pyramid - A food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains. Biogeochemical cycles (Nutrient cycles) - Nutrients move continually through air, water, soil, rock, and living organisms in ecosystems and in the biosphere in cycles. - Reservoirs - As nutrients move through the biogeochemical cycles, - As energy is transferred from one they may accumulate in one portion trophic level to the next, some useful of the cycle and remain there for energy (typically 90%) is lost to the different lengths of time. These environment as heat. temporary storage sites include the atmosphere, the oceans and other - Thus, there is less energy to support waters, and underground deposits. the organisms at succeeding higher 🌊Water (hydrologic) cycle 💎Carbon cycle trophic levels. 1. 🧊Nitrogen cycle 2. 🪄Phosphorus cycle Food Web 3. 🌋Sulfur cycle 4. 5. 🌊Water cycle 1. Energy from the sun causes evaporation of water from the oceans, lakes, rivers, and soil. Water - In natural ecosystems, organisms from plants evaporate through a feed on more than one species, and process called transpiration. may have more than one type of 2. Water vapor from the atmosphere predator, forming a food web. returns to the earth’s surface as 2  💎Carbon Cycle precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, dew). 🏞️ 3. Fates of Precipitation a. Surface runoff - water that flows into streams and lakes eventually back to the oceans. b. Penetrate into the soil and to underground layers of rock, 🧋 sand, and gravel called aquifers, where it is 🧊 stored as groundwater. 🌱 c. Stored in glaciers. d. Absorbed by plants and - 🏗️Carbon is the basic building block 😋 used for photosynthesis of carbohydrates, fates, proteins and e. Consumed by consumers DNA that make up organisms. in the food chain. - → Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere Functions of the water cycle and in the oceans is absorbed by - Nutrients in rock and soil are producers during photosynthesis. transported within and - → Photosynthesis converts among ecosystems. carbon dioxide into - Water is purified by carbohydrates in plants. evaporation and subsequent - → The carbohydrates are then precipitation (“natural passed on to consumers in the food distillation”). chain. - Water flowing through - → Producers and consumers break streams, lakes and aquifers down carbohydrates during cellular is naturally filtered and respiration. partially purified by chemical - → Cellular respiration releases processes and bacterial carbon dioxide and water to the action. atmosphere as products. Human activities that disrupt the - ☠️When producers and consumers 🌳 water cycle die, decomposition also releases - Deforestation ♒ carbon dioxide back into the air. 🏙️ - 〰️Irrigation - In aquatic environments, 🥣 - Urbanization decomposition of dead organisms - Removing groundwater releases carbon as carbonates in 😷 from wells bottom sediments. - Pollution - Over millions of years, buried dead - Effects – flooding, drought, plant matter and bacteria are depletion of clean water transformed by heat and pressure 3  into fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural cannot be directly absorbed by gas). When the fossil fuels are plants and animals. extracted and burned for energy, the - First, nitrogen fixation occurs when carbon is released into the lightning or nitrogen-fixing bacteria in 🌱 ☠️ 🔥 ⛽ atmosphere as carbon dioxide. soil, water and plant roots convert - → → → N2 to ammonia. Some ammonia is converted to ammonium and used Human activities that disrupt the up by plants. carbon cycle - Unabsorbed ammonia and 🔥🔥🔥 - (Trapping of gas coz too ammonium are then converted to much) Too much nitrates by nitrifying bacteria. burning of fossil fuels to Nitrates are then absorbed by plants generate power releases and used to make proteins, DNA, carbon dioxide into the RNA and vitamins. The nitrogen is atmosphere. Carbon dioxide passed on to consumers through the in the atmosphere traps heat. food chain. Too much carbon dioxide into - Nitrogen is returned to the the atmosphere causes environment as wastes and through global warming, which decomposition after death and can leads to climate change. be re-absorbed by plants. 🌲 - (No sucker of gas) - Denitrifying bacteria in waterlogged Deforestation reduces soil, bottom sediments, swamps and trees that absorb carbon bogs convert ammonia and dioxide from the atmosphere ammonium back to N2 and N2O. during photosynthesis. Thus, 🥩 🧬 deforestation contributes to Nitrogen is a component of global warming. proteins and DNA (genes) in 🧊Nitrogen Cycle organisms. Human activities that disrupt the 🧟 nitrogen cycle - Improper use of fertilizers may cause eutrophication - 🌌The main reservoir of nitrogen is (excessive nutrients) in lakes and rivers. Eutrophication the atmosphere, where it exists as could lead to excessive nitrogen gas (N2). However N2 growth of algae (algal blooms). When the algae die, 4  they sink to the bottom and undergo decomposition. - When the phosphates are washed to Decomposers use up oxygen the oceans, they are deposited in dissolved in the water. sediments at the bottom and remain Depletion of oxygen leads to there for a very long time until the 🧟 🏞️ 🧫 💀 ♉ fish kills. bottom is uplifted to the surface by → → → → geological processes. - 🚗☢️🌧️Vehicles emit Phosphorous is a component of the 🩻 nitrogen oxides that following: 🪫 contribute to the formation of - Bones and teeth smog and acid rain. - ATP – molecule used for 🪄Phosphorous Cycle 🧪 energy by cells 🧬 - Cell membranes - DNA Human activities that disrupt the 🧟 phosphorus cycle - Fertilizers and detergents contain phosphorus. Improper use of fertilizers and detergents may cause eutrophication of lakes and rivers - 🚭The phosphorus cycle does not 🌋Sulfur Cycle include the atmosphere. - 🧂Phosphorus is stored as phosphate salts in rocks and ocean bottom sediments. Erosion of rocks through the action of water releases the phosphates, which are then absorbed by plants and other producers. Phosphate is a limiting factor for growth of plants because most soils contain little phosphates. Phosphorus is used to make nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), ATP (for - The main reservoir of sulfur are energy), bones and teeth. rocks and ocean sediments, Consumers obtain phosphorus where they occur as compounds of through the food chain. When the sulfates. Plants absorb sulfates and organisms die, phosphorus is use sulfur to make proteins. Sulfur returned to the environment through is passed on to consumers in the decomposition. food chain. When organisms die, 5  decomposition returns sulfur to the Genetic Erosion Aesthetic soil and are re-absorbed by plants. resources control values (e.g. Sulfur is also stored in fossil fuels Ornamental Water scenic drives) that form over millions of years from resources purification Inspiration buried organisms. and waste (e.g. art) - treatment Educational - In flooded soils or wetlands, bacteria Regulation values of human Sense of convert sulfate to sulfide ions, which diseases place react with metal ions to form Biological Cultural compounds that are deposited as control heritage rocks. Pollination Storm - Sulfur enters the atmosphere as: Protection - sulfur dioxide (SO2) from Supporting Services (services necessary volcanoes, for the production of all other ecosystem - hydrogen sulfide (H2S) also services, their impacts on people are from volcanoes and flooded either indirect or occur over a very long swamps and bogs time) - Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) from Soil formation marine algae, which is Nutrient cycling converted to SO2 Primary production Oxygen - DMS and SO2 react with other Habitat components of the atmosphere to produce acidic compounds that fall PHONS back to earth as acid rain. Ecosystem services are “benefits people obtain from ecosystems” Provisioning Regulating Cultural services services services (products (benefits (Nonmaterial obtained from the benefits from the regulation people ecosystem) of obtain from ecosystem ecosystems) processes) Food Air quality Spiritual and Freshwater maintenance religious Fuel Climate values Fiber and regulation Recreation wood Water and Biochemicals regulation ecotourism 6 LESSON 2-3 Two key concepts from the definition of SD SUSTAINABILITY Background: 1983 - The United Nations (UN) created the World Commission on Environment and Development (aka the Brundtland Commission) chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland The 3 Pillars of Sustainability (3 E’s): Environmental integrity To address the issue on - “the Economic development accelerating deterioration of the Equity (Society) human environment and natural resources and the consequences of that deterioration for economic and social development.“ Sustainable Development (SD) “Development that meets the needs of the present without - “The ultimate aim of SD is to achieve compromising the a balance among environmental, ability of future economic, and social sustainability.” generations to meet their own needs” Some definitions of sustainability in different contexts - Brundtland Fisheries - catching fish at a rate Commission, 1987 that allows a certain fish population size to be maintained Forestry - harvesting at a rate that allows a forest to continue to Development produce trees. - “ a multidimensional undertaking to Agriculture - ensuring that the land achieve a higher quality of life for all can produce a certain amount of people.“ crop indefinitely and that farming - United Nations General Assembly, remains productive during and after 1997 major disturbances. Maintaining a carrying capacity of a given area (maximum population size that can be supported in a geographic area) 7 Philippines total quality of life, now and in the - Goal of the Philippine Strategy for future, can be increased” Sustainable Development (1989): - New South Wales (NSW): - “to achieve economic growth with “Sustainability in the NSW public adequate protection of the country's sector means addressing the needs biological resources and its diversity, of current and future generations vital ecosystem functions, and through the integration of social over-all environmental quality” justice, economic prosperity and environmental protection in ways European Union that are transparent, accountable - “Sustainable development means and fiscally responsible. that the needs of the present generation should be met without Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) compromising the ability of future - “a plan of action for people, planet generations to meet their own and prosperity” needs. […] It is about safeguarding - “seeks to strengthen universal the earth's capacity to support life in peace in larger freedom” all its diversity and is based on the - 17 Sustainable Development Goals, principles of democracy, gender 169 targets to be achieved by 2030 equality, solidarity, the rule of law - To be implemented by all member and respect for fundamental rights, states of the United Nations and all including freedom and equal stakeholders through partnerships opportunities for all. It aims at the and collaboration continuous improvement of the quality of life and wellbeing on Earth The 5 Ps of the 2030 Agenda for present and future generations. People - “To end poverty and To that end it promotes a dynamic hunger, to ensure that all human economy with full employment and a beings can fulfill their potential in high level of education, health dignity and equality and in a healthy protection, social and territorial environment” cohesion and environmental Planet - To protect the planet from protection in a peaceful and secure degradation through sustainable world, respecting cultural diversity.” consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural - EU Sustainable Development resources and taking urgent action Strategy (2006) on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present Australia - Ecologically Sustainable Prosperity - “To ensure that all Development human beings can enjoy prosperous - “using, conserving and enhancing and fulfilling lives and that economic, the community's resources so that social and technological progress ecological processes, on which life occurs without harming nature” depends, are maintained, and the 8  Peace - “To foster peaceful, just and adverse impacts undermine the inclusive societies which are free ability of all countries to achieve from fear and violence” sustainable development. Increases - “There can be no sustainable in global temperature, sea level rise, development without peace and no ocean acidification and other climate peace without sustainable change impacts are seriously development”. affecting coastal areas and low-lying Partnership - “To mobilize the coastal countries, including many means required to implement this least developed countries and small Agenda through a revitalised Global island developing States. The Partnership for Sustainable survival of many societies, and of Development…focused in particular the biological support systems of the on the needs of the poorest and planet, is at risk.” most vulnerable. - “We are meeting at a time of immense challenges to sustainable development. Billions of our citizens continue to live in poverty and are denied a life of dignity. There are rising inequalities within and among countries. There are enormous disparities of opportunity, wealth and power. Gender inequality remains a key challenge. Unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, is a major concern. Global health threats, more frequent and intense natural disasters, spiraling conflict, violent extremism, terrorism and related humanitarian crises and forced displacement of people threaten to reverse much of the development progress made in recent decades. Natural resource depletion and adverse impacts of environmental degradation, including 🏓 Core Principles of the SDGs desertification, drought, land Local-level action - Local degradation, freshwater scarcity and communities are empowered as loss of biodiversity, add to and 🌐 decision-makers and implements. exacerbate the list of challenges Universality - Although each which humanity faces. Climate country and community may differ in change is one of the greatest their approach to achieving the challenges of our time and its SDGs, the SDGs are shared by 9  every country and all countries are responsible for contributing to the 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 implementation of the goals. Leaving no one behind - The agenda’s goals and targets should be met for all nations and people and all segments of society, including the poorest pf the poor, the indigenous peoples, and the most 🕸️ vulnerable. Interconnected and indivisible - Action on one goal affects other goals. To achieve one goal, all the other goals must also be achieved. Prosperity and people is not possible without a healthy planet, and without 🤝 peace and partnerships. SDGs in the Philippines Partnership - The SDGs can be The Universal Health Care (UHC) achieved only if there is cooperation Act and partnership between countries - “grants all Filipinos coverage of the and across all sectors of society. National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) and immediate eligibility and Common principles applies in making access to preventive, promotive, governance decisions related to curative, rehabilitative, and palliative sustainability and in SD agreements care for medical, dental, mental, and Precautionary Principle - lack of emergency health services” full scientific certainty (of cause or effects) should not be used as a reason for inaction, so long as that action is proportionate and the costs and benefits of action versus inaction have been evaluated. Polluter Pays Principle - used to ensure third parties do not bear the external costs of other people’s activities, such as air pollution or the impacts of climate change, where Some policies and programs to these are a by-product of certain help achieve: business activities. ○ Economic goals Comprehensive Tax Reform Program – tax cuts to majority of Filipinos and to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) - Development and improvement of retail 10  e-payment mitigation co-benefits instruments in different sectors such as agriculture, SDG4 forestry, coastal and - Enhanced Basic marine ecosystems Education Act and biodiversity, - Universal Access to health, and human Quality Tertiary security to increase Education (RA10931) the country’s - Open Distance resilience to impacts Learning Act of climate change” Ensuring ecological integrity, Environment Goals clean, and healthy environment - Coastal and Marine - Boracay rehabilitation Ecosystems - Expanded National Management Integrated Protected Areas Program - aims to System Act of 2018 manage and address - Philippine Action Plan for the threats to coastal Sustainable Consumption and marine and Production degradation - Development of local climate - National Plan of change adaptation and Action for the mitigation/disaster risk Prevention, reduction and management Reduction and (CCAM/DRRM) plans and Management of establishment of early Marine Litter - to warning systems achieve zero waste in - Integrated Coastal Philippine waters by Management Bill 2040 - Wildlife Act - Banning single-use - Ecological Solid Waste plastics in some Management Act LGUs - Clean Water Act - Nationally - Clean Air Act Determined - Toxic Substances, Contributions - Hazardous and Nuclear articulates a target to Wastes Control Act avoid 75 percent of future greenhouse Impact of human activities on gas emissions from ecosystems and society 2020-2030 ○ Reclamation projects in - “the Philippines shall Manila Bay undertake adaptation measures with 11  - Flooding - Land subsidence – sinking of land due to excessive extraction of groundwater Energy from fossil fuels produces air pollution that results in: - Global warming and climate change - 27,000 premature deaths per year in the Philippines - Respiratory disease Deforestation - Soil erosion (less fertile soil) - Landslides - Food and water insecurity - Decrease population - Displacement of indigenous of fish and other - peoples marine animals (e.g. - Loss of forest products sardines, mackerel, - Loss of biodiversity mullet, squid, crab) due to loss of breeding grounds - Decrease in wetland areas - Wetlands prevent shoreline erosion, absorb pollutants, improve water quality, provide habitat for organisms. - Destruction of mangrove forests - Mangroves protect coast from waves and typhoons, provide habitats, shelter, breeding sites and food sources to coastal wildlife. - Decrease in waterbird populations - Storm surges 12 LESSON 4 service or the consumer surplus for that good. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Why put monetary value on ecosystem services? Law of Demand 1. To guide decisions on environmental regulations and allocation of funds for conservation initiatives (e.g. comparing benefits of projects, prioritizing projects) 2. To promote public participation and support for actions that protect and preserve the environment Law of Demand - When the price of a good is high, people will have lower demand (buy less) for that good. Demand curve - The demand curve for a good is a graph that shows the relationship between the price of the good and the quantity of goods Basic concepts of economic value purchased. It tells how many units of Willingness to Pay - The economic a good will be purchased at different value of a particular good or service prices. is measured by the maximum Consumer surplus - represented amount one is willing to pay to get by the area under the curve above that good or service. its market price (area of the green Market Price - The market price triangle). indicates the minimum amount that people are willing to pay in exchange for that good or service. Net economic benefit/consumer surplus - Many people are actually willing to pay more than the market price for a good or service. The difference between the amount of people are willing to pay for a good or service and the market price of that good or service is that net economic benefit from that good or 13 Law of Supply - When the price of a good rises, the supplier increases the supply in order to earn a profit because of higher prices. Basic concepts of economic value Supply curve - The supply curve shows how many units of a good producers are willing to produce and sell at a given price. Producer surplus - (economic benefits to producers of good) is the difference between the total amount SOME METHODS OF VALUATING earned from a good and the ECOSYSTEM SERVICES production costs. - It is represented by the area above the supply curve and below the market price (area of the green triangle). 14 1. Market Price Method Formula: - Estimates economic values for ecosystem products or services that are brought and sold in commercial markets. - Use market data (research) to create the demand curve and determine consumer surplus (CS) for the fish. ex. Problem 1: What is the consumer surplus for the fish supplied from a commercial fishing area? Problem 2: What is the producer surplus or the fish from the commercial fishing area? Problem 3: How much is the total net economic benefit or economic surplus provided by the fish in the fishing ground? Problem 4: An oil spill forced the closure of the fishing ground resulting in the loss of the net economic benefit the fishing ground provided. Cleaning up the pollution to reopen the fishing ground would cost the 15 local government ₱2,200,000. What would - Willingness to pay for travel you advise the local officials? to a particular site reflects > How can this result be used? that value of these sites. If the benefit is greater than Problem: the cost, then the pollution - “A site used mainly for should be cleaned up to recreational fishing is reopen the fishing ground. threatened by development If the cost of cleaning up is in the surrounding area. greater than the benefit, then Pollution and other impacts the fishing ground may from this development could remain closed. However, the destroy the fish habitat at the actual decision will be based site, resulting in a serious on a combination of other decline in, or total loss of, the factors (e.g., other benefits site’s ability to provide from the fishing ground such recreational fishing services.” as recreational benefits or - What is the value of the income from tourism). recreational fishing site? Zonal Travel Cost 2. Hedonic pricing method Approach - Used to estimate economic > Step 1: Define a set of benefits associated with: zones surrounding the site - Environmental (e.g. draw concentric circles quality(e.g. clean air) around the site or use - Environmental geographic divisions as amenities (e.g. scenic zonoes). views, proximity to > Step 2: Collect data on the parks and open number of visits made in the spaces) last year for each zone - Most commonly uses (Column A). housing prices to estimate >Step 3: Calculate the the value of environmental number of visits per year oer quality and amenities. 1000 population in each - Estimates economic values zone. (Column C = A/B X for ecosystem or 1000). environmental services that directly affect market prices. 3. Travel Cost Method (TCM) - Estimates economic use values of ecosystems or sites that are used for recreation. 16  Application: Helps in deciding whether or not to spend on actions to protect the site. If the ost of protecting the site is less than $23,000 per year, then the economic benefit outweighs the cost and that actions to protect > Step 4: Calculate the total travel the site should be pursued cost per trip for each zone. Distance cost (e.g. fare, fuel) Contingent Valuation Method Travel time cost (e.g. income - Estimates economic values lost due to travel) for all kinds of ecosystem and environmental services. - Most widely used method for estimating option and non-use values such as: - Having the option to fish in a lake (option value) > Step 5: Perform regression - The value of knowing analysis to find the relationship that certain plants between visits and travel costs. This and animals exist will indicate the effect of travel cost (existence value) and other factors to the number of Ex. visits. - A survey is conducted asking > Step 6: Construct a demand respondents about their curve. willingness to pay for specific ecosystem services or willingness to accept compensation to give up specific ecosystem services contingent on a hypothetical scenario involving ecosystem services. - Example: How much is your household willing to pay for the protection of a river that serves as a habitat for 4 > Step 7: Calculate the consumer critically endangered surplus (area under the demand species? curve). This estimates the economic benefit of the recreational site to visitors). 17 4. Productivity method - Estimates the economic value of ecosystem products or services that contribute to the production of commercially marketed goods. - Estimates values of ecosystem ex. services based on the costs - Ecosystem service provided associated with the hypothetical by wetland: damage that was avoided due to the - Improvement of water quality existence of the ecosystem service. - Good water quality contributes to crop production (crops are commercially marketed goods). - Increased crop production increases revenues. 6. Replacement Cost Method - Thus, the value of water - Estimates values of quality improvement by ecosystem services based wetlands can be estimated on the cost of replacing by the increased revenues ecosystem services. resulting from greater crop production. 5. Damage Cost Avoided Method - Estimates values of ecosystem services based on the costs of avoiding damages due to lost services/ 7. Substitute Cost Methods - Example: Forests prevent - Estimate values of soil erosion ecosystem services based - Soil erosion causes on the cost of providing damage to substitute services. downstream crops or rivers - To avoid damage of downstream crops or river, the eroded sediments must be removed. 18 LESSON 4 SUSTAINABLE USE OF RESOURCES: CORAL REEFS - - The coral provides the algae with a Coral Polyps protected environment and carbon - The coral animal is called a polyp. A dioxide they need for polyp looks like a miniature sea photosynthesis. In return, the algae anemone (1mm to 10mm across). provide nutrients and oxygen from - Most corals are made up of their photosynthetic activity, and help hundreds to thousands of individual the coral to remove wastes. coral polyps. Zooxanthellae are also responsible for the beautiful colors of many Coral anatomy reef-building corals. - Over many years, stony coral polyps can create massive reef structures. Reefs form when polyps secrete skeletons of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Most stony corals have very small polyps, averaging 1 to 3 millimeters in diameter, but entire - The hard external skeleton of colonies can grow very large. As coral is formed by the secretion they grow, these reefs provide of calcium carbonate by the structural habitats for hundreds to polyp. thousands of different marine - The cup-like skeleton deposited species. by an individual polyp is called a corallite. - Polyps capture their prey with their tentacles, which contain stinging cells called nematocysts. Zooxanthellae (photosynthetic algae) - Lives within the polyps and have a mutualistic relationship with them. 19  - The majority of reef building - The Coral Triangle directly sustains corals are found within tropical the lives of more than 120 million and subtropical waters. These people. typically occur between 30o north Medicine - and 30o south latitudes. The red dots on this map show the location of major stony coral reefs of the world. Importance of Coral Reefs Biodiversity - a highly biodiverse ecosystem, one with many different species, is often more resilient to changing conditions and can better withstand significant disturbances. Coastal Protection - protects coasts from storms and waves and The Coral Triangle erosion ○ Up to 90% of the energy from wind-generated waves is absorbed by reefs. Economic Value of reefs - Occupies just 1.5% of the world's total ocean area, but represents 30% of the world's coral reefs. - It has the highest coral diversity in the world - 76% of the world’s coral - http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcoral species are found here. s/values/ - It is also home to the highest - diversity of coral reef fishes in the world. Thirty-seven percent of the world’s coral reef fish species, and 56% of the coral reef fishes in the Indo-Pacific region live here. 20  known as “coral bleaching.” This leaves behind the appearance of a bright white skeleton and deprives the polyps of an important source of nutrition. The corals eventually die if the symbiotic algae don’t return. Ocean Acidification - Carbonic acid “steals” carbonate Threats to Coral Reefs needed by some maringe organisms Typhoons for their shells. - Reefs in Apo Island’s Marine sanctuary were severely damaged Overfishing by typhoon Sendong in 2011 and - Many fish feed on algae. Overfishing Typhoon Pablo in 2012. results in overgrowth of algae that Researchers estimate coral damage smother the corals. Overgrowth of at 99%. Coral reef fish abundance algae would decrease coral growth also declined by 50%. rate, smother corals, can introduce pathogens (disease-causing Predators organisms) and decrease helpful - Crown-of-thorns (Acanthaster planci) bacteria. Global Warming Deforestation - Causes coral bleaching - Causes siltation (water becomes - When ocean temperatures rise, dirty as a result of fine mineral corals expel the zooxanthellae that particles in the water) which blocks live in their tissues. This process is the light. Light is needed by the called coral bleaching because the zooxanthellae that provide nutrients corals lose their colors and turn for the corals. white. - When zooxanthellae are expelled Unsustainable Tourism from the corals, the corals lose their E.g. main source of nutrition. - Allowing tourists to step on coral reefs - If the zooxanthellae do not return, - Anchors can uproot corals the corals eventually die. - Boats can break corals - Line strangles coral - The zooxanthellae within corals’ - Plastic bag smother cora tissues are sensitive to ocean temperature, and ocean warming Destructive fishing methods - Dynamite fishing can cause the corals to expel - Cyanide fishing their colorful algae — a process 21  Trawling 7. Support reef-friendly businesses. - Ask the fishing, boating, Simple Actions to Help Protect Coral hotel, aquarium, dive, or Reefs snorkeling operators how 1. Conserve water they protect the reed. Be - The less water you use, the sure they care for the living less runoff and wastewater reef ecosystem and ask if the wlll pollute our oceans organization responsible is part of a coral reef 2. Reduce CO2 Emissions exosystem management - Walk, bike, ride the e-jeep or effort. mass transit. - Fossil fuel emissions from 8. Practice safe and responsible cars and industry contribute diving and snorkeling to global warming which - Do not touch, step, or anchor causes coral bleaching. your boat on the reef. Contact with coral will 3. Plant a tree damage the delicate coral - Trees reduce runoff into the animals. oceans. You will also help reduce global warming. 9. Don’t take corals and seashells home for souvenirs. Take pictures 4. Plant and protect mangroves instead. - The shade they provide - Leave nothing but footprints. helps prevent coral bleaching take nothing but pictures, kill - Their roots filter out nothing but time. sediments that could smother the corals and block sunlight 10. Volunteer, donate, or be a member needed by the photosynthetic of a marine conservation zooxanthellae. organization. - http://wwf.org.ph/ 5. Use only organic fertilizers - http://www.marineconservatio - Although you may live nphilippines.org/ thousands of miles from a - http://www.coast.ph/ coral reef system, these products flow into the water 11. Spread the word system, pollute the ocean, and can harm coral reefs and marine life. 6. Please dispose of trash properly - Any kind of litter pollutes the water and can harm the reef and marine animals. 22