Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 6-10 Subject: Ecology/Geography

Empire in the Shallows

After the February 10 shark attack on a surfer in the Great Barrier Reef region, which left Richard Butler needing a new surfboard and 80 stitches for a fist-size hole in his left calf, Australian authorities reported that they've seen a dramatic increase in shark attacks over the last six months.

The Great Barrier Reef runs about 1,250 miles along the eastern coast of Australia and consists of over 2,900 individual reefs. It is the largest reef area in the world and, as smaller reefs do also, serves as host to a tremendous variety of microhabitats and underwater creatures, like sharks. Reefs are known for their intrinsic beauty, and therefore they also get lots of attention from human sightseers and recreationists. Sometimes, the inhabitants of the two worlds clash producing less than desirable results. Even as surfer Butler admitted to one reporter after the attack, "I was terrified, but I don't blame the shark," he said. "I was the intruder in his space."

In this week's lesson, you'll learn about the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs around the world, including their ecology and issues related to their conservation.

The Great Barrier Reef

Start your journey off the coast of Australia by reading an overview of the Great Barrier Reef to find out where it is, who lives there and what kinds of forces can damage the ecosystem. To get a better picture of the location's geography, check out the General Locality Map. You can click on an area of the map to zoom in on a particular area to see more detail. You'll notice smaller individual reefs, along with city and port locations.

Coral Ecology

Coral reefs don't just happen—these complex ecosystems are built over time by living organisms that create bone-like structures with calcium carbonate. To find out more about this process, visit the ThinkQuest site, Coral Realm (click on "English version" to enter). Take some time to explore the Corals section, looking at the Classification of Reef Building Corals, History of Reefs, Types of Reefs, Coral Anatomy and Coral Physiology. How are reefs created and what makes them havens for other creatures? Also check out the Ecology section of the site, which describes the ecological importance of corals. Don't forget to visit the Stories and Gallery sections to round out your visit here.

Another great place to learn about corals is at the Hawai'i Coral Reef Network. Focus your visit on the Ecology of Coral Reefs in Hawai'i. Here, you can see how there are different types of coral and other species that live in around the Hawaiian Islands by clicking on the names of each species. Do specific types of corals attract specific kinds of other animals? Why do you think different corals exist?

Reefs of the World

In addition to the reefs of Australia and Hawaii, many other reefs exist throughout the world. One spectacular spot is in the Bahaman Islands off the east coast of Florida. Visit Discovery.com's site Life on the Reef. Begin by looking at the The Reef from Space page, where you can zoom in on the reef through satellite images provided by NASA. Then Dive the Reef and discover what kinds of colorful and interesting creatures live in the local Lagoon, Reef and Shelf areas. Scientific understanding is critical to the understanding and protection of the reefs, so make sure to Meet the Scientists and learn more about their special research fields. Also check out Reef Briefs to read about miscellaneous reef facts and news, and you can visit the Museum or read the daily dispatches from the expedition if you have time.

And if you just can't get enough of the wild reef creatures, discover more of them at another site (different from the ThinkQuest project) titled Coral Realm. Without becoming a member, you can read brief summaries about reef animals such as sharks and rays, fish and invertebrates.

Coral Conservation

Without a doubt, these relatively fragile underwater communities are becoming increasingly damaged, especially as a result of human activities. The World Resources Institute provides an enlightening Reefs at Risk site, which outlines a variety of issues and topics related to the protection of coral ecosystems. Focus on the section called, Status of the World's Coral Reefs. Read about what threatens coral reef communities and explore the Earth's various reef areas to find out which reefs are experiencing the most damage. Why do you think some are being more severely affected than others? You can click on a more specific location within each region's map to learn more about that location—its history, its challenges and what the area's people and agencies are doing to help protect its reefs.

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