My UnBelizable Vacation (which just so happens to fit perfectly with my biome project)

So this spring break, I got the amazing opportunity to go to Belize with a group of students and two teachers and explore the Belize Barrier Reef. And just to prove I actually went there, here's a picture!

that's me!!

So coral reefs! They are one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. So let me tell you about some of the things I learned on my trip (with a little help from the Internet). (Side note: all photos are from my personal drive unless cited underneath the photo.)

The structure of coral reefs are from the skeletons of deceased plants and fish that form calcium carbonate skeletons that shape the coral. Typically in Belize, the amount of rainfall varies between 59 and 157 inches. Winds are generally between 10 to 14 miles per hour. Temperatures ranged between 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside and the water mostly always stayed at a nice comfortable 80 degrees Fahrenheit. In the coral reefs, the clear water allowed a lot of sunlight to the corals. Coral reefs are home to many nursing fish as well as small and medium sized grown fish, eels, plankton, and hundreds of other species. 

Coral is really cool. 

Within the different species that live in coral reefs, there are three categories: producers, consumers, and decomposers. 

Producers are what creates the coral reefs and allows them to keep growing. Examples of coral reef producers are duckweed grass and zooxanthallae. 

Almost every species in the coral reef is a consumer. Examples are sea sponges, sea urchins, big fish, and little fish.  

Decomposers are animals that break down the waste or dead material to reuse. Fan worms, sea cucumbers, snails, and crabs are responsible for the decomposing of the dead. 

Food web of Belize Barrier Reef 

http://wtfsgoingon.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a6141337970b0133ef7f9eea970b-800wi

Map of all the Marine Coral Reefs in the world

https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=837

The evolutionary adaptations that our group noticed (or, actually our tour guide pointed out), was the strong root system that the corals had developed to withstand strong currents. Many of the fish have adapted to the coral reef by altering their shape and coloration to blend in with the coral. 

Coral reefs have a symbiosis relationship between the coral polyp and the zootanthellae. The later gives off oxygen so the former can breathe and give off carbon dioxide. Both work together to keep the coral reefs alive through photosynthesis. 

Humans have made a significant impact to coral reefs, both good and bad. Coral reefs have recently been going through "coral bleaching", where due to rising or falling temperatures of the ocean, the corals release their zootanthellae, which gets rid of their color and stops the photosynthesis process. If this continues for a long time, the coral would die. However, in Belize, the people have created the first marine reserve and the no touch no kill zone rules have made a significant impact on the coral reefs since they initiated it. 

Overall, my stay in Belize was amazing. I hope you all learned a little something about coral reefs. If you do plan to go to Belize anytime soon, stop by San Pedro and snorkel there in Hol Chan. You won't regret it. And try the frozen custard there! 

Until next time, here's a turtle. 

Citations

CORAL REEF SYMBIOSIS - Coral Reefs - Ocean World. (n.d.). CORAL REEF SYMBIOSIS - Coral Reefs - Ocean World. Retrieved April 16, 2014, from http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/coral/coral3.htm 


        Clough, L. D. (n.d.). Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, Belize. Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, Belize. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/150471/ 
 


         Coral reefs. (n.d.). Biomes of the World. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=837

  

         Cunningham, W. P., Cunningham, M. A., & Saigo, B. W. (2007). Biomes: Global Patterns of Life. Environmental Science: A Global Concern (9 ed., pp. 101, 108-110). New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 


Producer - Composer - Decomposer. (n.d.). The Great Barrier Reef. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://thegreatbarrierreefjackandwill.weebly.com/producer---composer---decomposer.html