EXPLORING FOOD WEBS IN THE
CORAL REEF
Coral reefs are some of the most diverse However, coral reefs are under
and important ecosystems on Earth, often
called the “rainforests of the sea.” They are
fig. 16 threat. Rising ocean
temperatures and pollution
Great White
found in warm, shallow waters and are
built by tiny animals called coral polyps, cause coral bleaching, which
which work together with algae called kills corals. Overfishing
Shark
zooxanthellae. These algae provide energy
to the coral through photosynthesis. Non-
removes important species like
living factors like sunlight, warm water herbivores, leading to too much
(25–29°C), and salt levels are essential for algae growth. These problems
the survival of coral reefs. Producers like
algae and seagrass support herbivores ROW 1-Apex predator disrupt food webs and threaten
such as parrotfish and sea turtles, which the animals and people who rely
are eaten by animals like eels and
on healthy reefs.
butterflyfish. At the top of the food web are
predators like reef sharks.
fig. 13 fig. 14 fig. 15
reef sharks barracude groupers
ROW 2-Tertiary consumers
fig. 9 fig. 10 fig. 11 fig. 12
butterfly fish moray eels lion fish octopus
ROW 3-Secondary consumers
fig. 5 fig. 6 fig. 7 fig. 8
green
parrotfish sea urchin grazing snail
seaturtle
ROW 4-Primary consumers
fig. 1 fig. 2 fig. 3 fig. 4
phytoplankton algae seagrass zooxanthellae
ROW 5-Producers
Photos
fig. 1- fig. 2- fig. 3-
https://images.app.goo.gl/f https://images.app.goo.gl/BFH https://images.app.goo.gl/nU
pTXzYhDZWruruSg8 WBZmGxWYEKBd59 GNHKuGtPSDbKwq9
fig 4- fig. 5- fig 6-
https://images.app.goo. https://images.app.goo.gl/ https://images.app.goo.gl/
gl/J65ZaFmyeXv33L3D9 Rhsuqx2S5jNbtQrw8 zsDCuyL6Uj3TAw3M8
fig. 7- fig. 8- fig. 9-
https://images.app.goo.gl/5A55cZntiqn https://images.app.goo.gl/tFWWCQ https://images.app.goo.gl/ovbdnEN
Qm5k98 7u9S352KpN9 KL8zKBWVNA
fig. 11- fig 12-
fig. 10-
https://images.app.goo.gl
https://images.app.goo.gl/st5ir1aNfyqde https://images.app.goo.gl/QMrix3CtSUZAsi
gRb6 dP6
/t6FRN1LtWon5k4wm9
fig 13- fig. 16-
fig 14- fig 15-
https://images.app.goo.gl/X15KW
https://images.app.goo.gl/bji https://images.app.goo.gl/G
https://images.app.goo.gl/h5 nN4ihepcRYr5
UAFNFxqQb1oUX8 JzLgKXwFYHdupof6
dnGQ6faGVS8ztL7
Bibliography
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). 2024. Townsville,
Australia.
Accessed on December 1, 2024.
https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au
National Geographic: Coral Reefs. 2023. Washington, D.C., USA.
Accessed on December 1, 2024.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/coral-reefs
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. 2022. Washington, D.C., USA.
Accessed on December 1, 2024.
https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/marine-
life/coral-reefs
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Coral Reefs. 2023. Paris, France.
Accessed on December 1, 2024.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/coral-reefs/
World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Coral Reefs. 2023. Gland, Switzerland.
Accessed on December 1, 2024.
https://www.worldwildlife.org/habitats/coral-reefs
