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Riley Moody
Dr. Cassel
English 101E-00
1 December 2016

How Climate Change is Affecting Coral Reef Ecosystems

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is larger than
the Great Wall of China. It is the largest living thing on Earth, so big that astronauts can see it
from space. Sadly, The Great Barrier Reef, as well of thousands of other coral reefs around the
world, face a huge threat: climate change. Climate change is causing major damage to coral
reefs, which is in turn affecting the many organisms that call coral reefs home. Although people
may be aware of the damage being done to coral reefs due to climate change, they do not realize
the repercussions of this damage on other marine life.
A corals structure is described as a polyp. The polyp has an open mouth at the end of it
that is outlined in tentacles. Inside the polyps, there are reproductive and digestive tissues. In
these tissues live a single-celled algae called zooxanthellae. Corals and Zooxanthellae have a
symbiotic relationship. Zooxanthellae use photosynthesis to make food for itself and the coral,

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and the coral give nutrients to the algae (Knowlton). Not only does the zooxanthellae allow coral
to grow at such a rapid rate to build huge coral reefs, they also provide the coral with their bright
and beautiful colors.
Global climate change is playing a big role in the increase in coral bleaching events.
Coral bleaching can be defined as the loss of zooxanthella due to warming water temperatures.
Corals are used to living in a narrow temperature margin, and a drastic change in temperature can
induce coral bleaching (Buchheim). As the temperature of ocean water increases, so does the risk
of coral bleaching. Increasing water temperature leads the relationship between the algae and the
corals to become stressed, causing the algae to leave. Coral can lose up to 60-90% of their
zooxanthellae and can also lose around 50-80% of zooxanthellaes photosynthetic pigments
(Buchheim). When the algae leaves, so does the corals major food source. Depending on how
severe the bleaching event is, the coral can either regain the relationship with the algae, or it can
die.
Some coral reefs have been on earth for five thousand years. But in the past thirty years,
many reefs have lost 40-50% of their corals (Cho). This drastic loss is due to the warming
oceans due to climate change. The effects of this climate change can already be seen in coral
reefs around the world. Ten percent of coral reefs have already been damaged, and if we
continue business as usual, the World Resource Institute projects that ninety percent of coral
reefs will be in danger by two thousand thirty, and all of them by two thousand sixty (Cho).
Humans must begin taking steps to lessen the effects of climate change, or we risk losing one of
the worlds most beautiful ecosystems.
Coral reefs can grow into diverse and productive ecosystems. As coral grows and
reproduces, they become coral reefs, which are the base of the ecosystem. A variety of marine

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life organisms can live in this ecosystem. All these organisms work together to maintain a
successful and balanced ecosystem. Sponges are organisms that are a part of the coral reef
ecosystem from early on. Sponges provide shelter for organisms like fish, shrimp, and crabs
(Reef Ecosystem). Sea anemones also provide shelter for organisms, such as clown fish.
Flatworms and Polychaeta find protection in the reef, as do shrimp, crabs and lobsters. These
organisms also feed on the smaller organisms that live in the reef, like sea urchins (Reef
Ecosystem). Octopus, squid, clams, scallops, and snails also call the reef home. One of the most
important organism that live in the coral reef are the many different species of fish. Fish act as
both predator and prey in the ecosystem. Fish act as predators to small marine animals and are a
food source to bigger predators. Some of the other predators that live in the coral reef are sharks,
rays, and eels. Sharks and rays eat the crabs, clams, and fish found in the reef. Eels are one of the
reefs top predators within the ecosystem, eating anything from octopus to shrimp (Reef
Ecosystem). This ecosystem depends on the coral reefs success and survival to stay balanced. As
soon as the reef becomes stressed and diseased, the balance in the ecosystem becomes disturbed.
As coral bleaching affects more and more reefs around the world, we risk losing many of
the organisms that live in the reef. Everything from small types of fish to Sea Turtles are being
put at risk because of decline of the health of coral reefs in the past 30 years (Bardroff). Some
organisms depend directly on the coral for their main source of food. Butterfly fish feed on on
coral. When coral becomes diseased and sometimes die, these fish are losing their food source,
putting Butterfly fish at risk for endangerment or possibly extinction. Hawksbill sea turtles feed
mainly on sponges, a key organism in the coral reef ecosystem. Other organisms depend on
reefs for protection from predators. Spiny Lobsters rely on coral reefs for protection, especially

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during their vulnerable molting episodes (Bardroff). When organisms lose their shelter, they are
more susceptible to predators.
Marine organisms that may be classified as prey are not the only organisms that risk
endangerment as the heath of coral reefs decline. While predators such as dolphins and sharks
may not use the reef for protection or shelter, their food source is the fish that do. Every species
lost will affect anotherand anotherand many others (Bardroff). The marine species that
predators rely on, like shrimp, crabs, and squids, find shelter in the coral reef. These marine
species lose their homes due to climate change. They can be preyed on by predators, until the
predators no longer have a food source, and then begin to disappear.
Although the ocean temperatures have risen in recent years, many people believe that
climate change is not a significant threat to coral reefs, or other organisms like polar bears and
caribou. Humans may be cautious to take action against climate change because the cost of
taking action is too high, or believe that it is too late to make a difference (Climate Change
Deniers). These arguments made by climate change deniers have been rejected by members of
the scientific community. Of the nine hundred and twenty-eight articles found in peer-reviewed
scientific journals, not one of them disagreed with the consensus position that climate change is
happening and it is human induced. (Climate Change Deniers). Humans must do something
about climate change. Something as simple as carpooling or walking somewhere may not seem
like a big deal, but in the long run, the effects could be very beneficial to lessen the effects of
climate change.
People may be aware of the threats coral reefs face due to climate change. As the
temperature of the ocean continues to rise due to climate change, so does the risk of losing one of
the worlds most diverse ecosystems. But not only do we risk losing coral reefs, but also a

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variety of marine species. Organisms that find protection and shelter in the reef, organisms that
depend on the coral reef for food, and the predators that depend on all of these organisms to
survive. Humans must take steps to protect on preserve the worlds coral reefs, or we risk losing
one of the worlds natural seven wonders forever.

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Works Cited

Bardroff, Jenna. Five Species We Stand to Lose if Coral Reefs are Destroyed and What YOU
Can do About it. One Green Planet.2014. http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalandnature/species-we-stand-to-lose-if-coral-reefs-are-destroyed/. Accessed 1 December
2016.
Buchheim, Jason. Coral Reef Bleaching. Odyssey Expeditions. 2013.
http://www.marinebiology.org/coralbleaching.htm. Accessed 29 November 2016.
Cho, Renee. Losing Our Coral Reefs. Columbia University. 2011.
http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/06/13/losing-our-coral-reefs/. Accessed 1 December
2016.
Climate Change Deniers. David Suzuki Foundation. 2014.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/climate-changebasics/climate-change-deniers/. Accessed 1 December 2016.
Knowlton, Nancy. Corals and Coral Reefs. Ocean Portal. 2016. http://ocean.si.edu/corals-andcoral-reefs. Accessed 4 November 2016.
Reef Ecosystem. Sea World Parks and Entertainment. 2016. https://seaworld.org/en/animalinfo/animal-infobooks/coral-and-coral-reefs/reef-ecosystem. Accessed 28 November
2016.