Name_______________________________________ Period_________________ Date___________________

Ecosystems: Coral Reefs

Natural Influences
In the last two decades, coral reefs in the Caribbean and around the world
have experienced major natural disturbances. During the early 1980s a water
borne pathogen was carried throughout the Caribbean Sea. This pathogen caused
a massive die-off of the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum, some by up to
95 percent. Diadema is an important algae grazer, so its reduction resulted in
increasing algal growth throughout reefs in the Caribbean. The resulting increased
growth of algae has resulted in many Caribbean reefs shifting from coral to algal
dominance. It is speculated that the pathogen may have been introduced by
shipping through the Panama Canal. The Florida Keys and experienced a near loss
of Diadema throughout their reefs during the early 1980s. Simultaneously there
was a decline in coral cover and increase in macroalgae on the reefs.
Throughout 1997-98, a widespread coral bleaching event that affected all of
the major tropical oceans of the world occurred. Coral bleaching is a response to
stress on corals that affects the symbiotic relationship between the coral and its
algae. When corals bleach they lose their symbiotic algae and/or the algae lose
pigments resulting in the coral becoming pale. Corals can survive short bleaching
events, but if the stress is intense or prolonged, corals may eventually die.
Reports of the 1997-98 bleaching coincided with elevated water temperatures that
have been linked to the 1997-1998 El Nino event. The worldwide impact this El
Nino had on coral reefs illustrates how susceptible corals are to changes in water
temperature. Therefore, we need to minimize the impact of human activities that
may cause global warming.
Anthropogenic Influences
A recent World Resources Institute report estimates that Nearly 60 percent of the
world's reefs are threatened by increasing human activity. Development,
urbanization, and agriculture lead to increases in freshwater runoff, polluted
runoff, sedimentation, and nutrient inputs. Growing industry and automobile usage
cause an increase in emissions contributing to the green house effect and chemical
deposition from air to water. Commercial and private vessel traffic mean the
possibility of fuel leaks or spills, vessel groundings, and anchor damage.
Harvest of reef resources is also taking a toll on the health of coral reef
ecosystems. Overfishing on reefs leads to an unbalanced ecosystem, allowing
more competitive or less desirable organisms to become dominant. Fishing
methods such as the use of explosives and poisons severely harm reefs and reef
organisms. Harvest of coral skeleton for souvenirs depletes healthy corals or
substrate where coral larvae might have settled. Increased tourism in areas of
coral reef habitat contributes to increased pressure from scuba diving, recreational
fishing, and vessel traffic.
Examine the excerpt from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration on the causes
of the Diadema die-off. Then answer the questions below. Evaluate your answers to these
questions to write a final recommendation for your team.
1) What is the role of the diadema in the coral reef?_________________________________________________

2) What happens to the coral reef if numbers of diadema get too low? How does the coral reef
ecosystem shift?



3) What is coral bleaching, why is it bad, and how does it interrupt symbiosis?




4) What are the two natural causes the articles sites for the diadema die-off?




5) Predict: Are there ways to prevent natural causes hurting the coral reef ecosystem?




6) List 3 causes and their corresponding effects of how human activity threatens the coral
reef.



7) Hypothesize: In what ways can we prevent human harm to the coral reed ecosystem.



8) Recommendation: using your answers to the 7 questions above, write a concise
recommendation to inform your fellow marine biology team of the causes that lead to the
diadema die-off, the effects these causes had on the coral reef, and possible solutions to
address these causes.










Name_____________________________________ Per_____________ Date____________________
Graphic Respresentations of Diadema, Coral, and algae
Macroalgae slow the growth of coral by blocking sunlight and encroaching over live coral tissue,
causing abrasions. Macroalgae also limit recruitment of coral by releasing chemicals that can inhibit the
settlement of coral larvae. Diadema control benthic algae populations by grazing on this macroalgae.
Diadema are an important grazer of macroalgae as urchins are estimated to be responsible for 40% of
the grazing that occurs on a reef. Diadema facilitate coral recruitment and colonization by opening up
bare substrate and reducing the direct competition with macroalgae for settlement sites. Diadema have a
foraging range of ~0.5-4 m2, with the area re-grazed every 3-6 days, making them a more intense grazer
than herbivorous fish. When Diadema are absent, turf algae are replaced by macroalgae, which are less
productive, less palatable to herbivores, and more likely to be exported off the reef as detritus, resulting
in a net loss of energy of the reef (Keller 2007).

(Keller 2007)













Reef-building corals with their diverse growth forms are responsible for the structural relief that
supports a high diversity of commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important organisms
on coral reefs including groupers and snappers, lobsters, and sea turtles. Corals co-exist in a
dynamic balance with reef algae, which are at the base of the coral reef food web. High levels of
herbivory (grazing) are critical to maintaining dominance of corals and to algal
production. Algal cover will deny fuel to the coral reef food web. On Western Atlantic and Caribbean
coral reefs, there have been recent shifts away from dominance by corals, and reefs have become
dominated by thick turf and fleshy algae since the 1983 epizootic die-off of the major coral reef grazer,
the sea urchin Diadema antillarum. (Rosov 2006)

(Mumby et al. 2006)










Name_________________________________________ Per_____ Date___________
Graphic Representations of Diadema, Coral, and algae
Examine the graphs, and excepts from various scientific journals. Then answer the questions below.
Evaluate your answers to these questions to write a final recommendation for your team.
1) Using the 2 excerpts, what is the role of diadema in the coral reef ecosystem. List 3 things the
diadema does specifically to support life in the coral reef.




2) Why is coral important in the ecosystem? What can happen in the absence of diadema?



3) Looking at graph number 1, what happened to the numbers of diadema between the years 1980
and 2000?



4) Predict: Using the first graph, what happened in the year 2000 to the number of diadema? Come
up with at least two hypotheses as to why this phenomena occurred.



5) Using the second graph, what happens to the macroalgal cover and the coral cover from the years
1970-1995?



6) Which event seemed to affect the % of coral cover the most?




7) Predict: What are other possible causes of decreasing % coral cover in the ocean?



8) Use this data to interpret what happens to coral reefs, and algal growth as diadema populations
decrease. Make a recommendation to your group explaining what the role of diadema is on the
coral reef ecosystem, the possible causes of diadema decrease, and what can be done to increase
their return/ decrease the algal population.





Name_______________________________ Per_______ Date_______________
Diadema Die-Off Case Study
Background: Coral reef ecosystems are complex, dynamic, and sensitive systems. Slight changes in one
component of the ecosystem affects the health of other components. During the early 1980s a water
borne pathogen was carried throughout the Caribbean Sea. This pathogen caused a massive die-off of
the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum. At some locations the population of Diadema was
reduced by 95 percent.

Your job today will be to act as a marine biologist team and closely study the effects on the Diadema
die-off on the surrounding ecosystem. Each member of your team will study a certain piece of
evidence related to the Diadema die off, and will answer a series of related questions. Throughout
your evaluation of multiple sources, your team will be charged to come up with a final
recommendation as to what can be done to help improve the conditions of the Caribbean marine
ecosystem following the diadema die-off.

Instructions: Using the final conclusions from the members of your group, use the rest & back of this
page to explain the interconnectness of the diadema, the coral reef, and algal cover. What were the
causes of diadema decline? How did this impact the surrounding ecosystem? What are some possible
solutions to restore the ecosystem of the coral reef back to normal? Remember: solutions must
address at least one of the causes and can be preventative, restorative or a combination of both in
nature.