Coral Bleaching
My third branch idea is the topic of the bleaching of the coral reefs. Coral bleaching is when corals are stressed by changes in conditions like the temperature, light, or nutrients. They release the symbiotic algae living in their tissues causing them to turn white. When a coral bleaches it does not die, but it is put under more stress and are subject to mortality by the stress of the condition. Coral reefs are a MAJOR part of the ocean because a lot of species depend on the reefs. We even depend on the reefs too. The reefs shelter about 25% of all marine species. If we do not put a stop to this bleaching then we will be taking away from 25% of all living things in the oceans home. That is like destroying a quarter of America and have 78.475 million Americans homeless and looking for food, shelter, and jobs. That is a lot of people. There is more life in the ocean than humans on land, so imagine that number be even higher for fish to find someplace else to find shelter and food. They would most likely die in the end, so we theoretically wiped out 25% of marine life if the coral bleaching continues. The coral also protects shorelines. It stops eroding and damage to the shore. If coral reefs are no longer there, the oceans waves would erode the shoreline having no more beaches. Fishing industries also depend on coral reefs for food that they catch. The reefs are abundant in fish and if there are no more fish to catch, the industries would either go out of business making hundreds of workers jobless, or they would have to find another place to fish causing competition between industries and over fishing in certain parts of the ocean where there are many ships all catching fish. Coral reefs are a big part of our world too because we depend on them for tourists money. Millions of people every year travel to the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs to see the vast array of colors and fish there. Without the reefs for tourist attractions, people who work by giving tours of the reef are now out of business. Finally, the coral reefs could also be home to the next big medical breakthrough. Secosteroids are used by coral to protect themselves from disease. We can use this steroid to treat asthma and arthritis. Bryozoan is a fouling organism, like a barnacle, that is a source for an anti-cancer compound called bryostatin 1. Blue-green algae are used to treat small cell lung cancer, melanoma, and even some forms of tumors. The new medicine called Yondelis is from a sea squirt which is used to treat soft-tissue sarcoma. With some more research, scientists have found some more medicinal organisms found around the reefs. Chemicals from soft coral have been used as an anti-inflammatory agent on skin. Bio active molecules in sea sponges, tunicates, and sea hares have displayed as an agent for anti-viral, anti-tumor, and bacterial activity. Bivalves, which are a class of mollusks, are being researched right now to aid in the slowing down of the aging process including metabolic activity. Without the reefs, our globe would deteriorate in and out of the ocean.
#saveourwaters.
#saveourwaters.