And You Thought Bleach Stains on Your Clothes Were Devastating

Coral bleaching. No, this is not a hot new trend floating around the underwater world. It’s one of the many devastating effects of climate change.

Jason Buchheim, marine biologist, explained in his article how coral and zooxantheallae live in a symbiotic relationship together. The zooxanthellae (we’ll call them ZooPals for short. It’s easier to pronounce and they “make eating fun”!) aid coral in photosynthesis, providing carbon compounds for energy, calcification, and nutrients. It also provides photosynthetic pigments to the naturally translucent tissues of the coral. In return, the coral provides the ZooPals with a safe place to live and steady supply of carbon dioxide (par. 6).

Bleaching occurs when 60-90% of ZooPals are expelled due to coral being stressed. Like when people stress and get gray hair! Because ZooPals are the reason for coral's vibrant colors, when they are lost it appears bleached (par. 10).

Picture courtesy of  marinebiology.org

Basically everything stresses these coral guys out: temperature change, UV radiation (Cough, cough. Ozone depletion.), sea water dilution from rain, change in pH from acid rain. What do all these have in common? They’re caused by climate change!

Occasionally, if the stress and bleaching isn't too severe, the coral will recover and return to its daily life, whatever that may be. Unfortunately, if the coral stress continues, ZooPal expelling continues. This decreases the chance of repopulating and the coral host dies (par. 11).

Courtesy of twistedsifter.com

"So what? Coral are just sea bushes. What real purpose do they serve?”

Coral Reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. In Anup Shah, founder of the website Global Issues, explained in his article "Coral Reefs: Ecosystems Of Environmental And Human Value" how reefs also benefit humans. Shah states, "Reefs cover an area of over  280,000 km2 and support thousands of species in what many describe as the 'rainforests of the seas'" (Shah par. 1). 


For example, they protect ours shorelines from the impact of waves. Sea levels are rising as it is; they can't afford more waves coming in eroding the shores. Because coral reefs are located in shallow water they break up and slow down these waves before they reach the shores.
Reefs also provide us with food and medicines. Where do you think those tropical fish you love to eat on vacations lived? The coral reefs! These fish would be a real hit on MTV Cribs. Not only are these fish tasty, they also provide many health benefits like heart healthy fish oil. Also, they are major tourist attraction (Shah par. 3). Cha-ching!

Courtesy of google.com

All these great benefits would be lost without the coral reefs. It would just be an eerie ghost town abandoned by Nemo and his friends.   

Coral bleaching is often lost and neglected in all the climate change hubbub. Along with polar bears losing their icy homes, coral reefs slowly dying off is also a major environmental issue. Maybe the coral just needs to man up and quit being a bunch of pansies. But hey, they’re only coral!

Works Cited:

Buchheim, Jason.Coral Reef Bleaching. Odyssey Expeditions: Tropical Marine Biology Voyages. marinebiology.org. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Gonzalez-Rivero, Manuel. "The White Spectres of Death Underwater." New Scientist (2013): Vol. 220 Issue 2939, p14-41. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Shah, Anup. Coral Reefs: Ecosystems of Environmental and Human Value. globalissues.org. 3 March 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. 

Too Many Animals on Earth

        There is a surplus of companion animals such as cats and dogs throughout the world.  This is a major issue which needs to be solved.  According to the article “Companion Animal Overpopulation” by PETA, “Every year in the U.S., an estimated 6 to 8 million lost, abandoned, or unwanted dogs and cats enter animal shelters” (peta.org).  Many of these animals need to be euthanized, put down, to avoid overcrowding in these animal shelters.

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com 

 

According to the article “Companion Animal Overpopulation: What You Can Do” by the Georgia SPCA, there are multiple reasons why companion animals are overpopulated.  The reasons they give are as follows.

1.     Biology

2.     Commercial breeding

3.     Lost and abandoned animals

4.     And social attitudes.

This list can be found at the Georgia SPCA website http://www.georgiaspca.org/qa-idausa-pet-overpopulation.

      Commercial breeding includes places like puppy mills that feel the need to breed “purebred” dogs to make a profit.  This is a major contributor to the overpopulation problem because for every animal bred and sold there is an animal in a shelter losing a home.  Also, “Approximately one-quarter of the dogs in shelters are purebreds who were originally purchased and then abandoned” (georgiaspca.org).  As if there are not enough animals in shelters, people lose interest in dogs and cats once they get older, and become more of a hassle to take care of even though they have been loyal to the family.  So they decide to get rid of them instead of sticking by their side the way they stuck by the family’s side.

      This brings me into my next issue about lost and abandoned pets.  If the owners of animals would take the little bit of time and money to buy a collar and tags or implant a microchip for tracking, many of the lost dogs would find their way back home.  “One out of every five animal companions becomes lost at some point in their lives. Of these, only 16% of dogs and about 2% of cats are ever recovered by their guardians” (georgiaspca.org).  These are horrible statistics to look at if you ever have loved a pet, but it is the truth.

      There are many ways to help these animals and reduce the overpopulation of pets.  These include:

1.     Spay and neuter animal companions

2.     Adopt animals from shelters

3.     Keep animal companions safe

4.     Volunteering at animal shelters.

The first solution to this problem is spaying and neutering pets.  It does not cost that much many when you look at the cost of raising another litter of animals.  Next, when looking to buy another animal, look at shelters first.  Most of the animals in shelters come from disorganized homes and would love to live with a family who loves him. I own two dogs which came from a shelter.  These are some of the best dogs I have owned.  Lastly, I urge those of you who do not have the time or money to raise and take care of an animal to volunteer at an animal shelter.  I have spent multiple hours walking dogs at shelters in my area.  They love to be with someone, if only for a little bit of time, who will walk and play with them. 

Help the world by making good choices about your animals, and help reduce the overpopulation of companion animals.

Works Cited

“Companion Animal Overpopulation.” peta.org. PETA. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.

“Companion Animal Overpopulation: What You Can Do.” Georgiaspca.org. Georgia SPCA.

Web. 29 Nov. 2013.

The Depletion of the World’s Most Dynamic Ecosystem

The Depletion of the World’s Most Dynamic Ecosystem

    Year after year, we keep finding that the coral reef is being destroyed more and more. Housing the vastest amount of marine wildlife, the depletion of the coral reef is becoming more concerning than ever.

    Ever since 1998, the destroying and disappearance of the coral reef has become an issue that is very concerning to the world’s most dynamic ecosystem. There are 5 main reason as to what is harming the coral reefs and causing them to disappear:

1. Ocean Warming:  The ocean warming is a big reason for the destruction of the coral reefs because when the waters warm it becomes a less healthy environment for the coral to live.  Most of this is due to the climate change issue.
2. Water Pollution:  Oil, gas, pesticide contamination, trash, and animal or human waste are some of the biggest contributors of water pollution that harm the coral reefs.
3. Sedimentation: When developing around an ocean or anything that would stir up the ocean, cause sediment to hurt the coral reefs and eventually destroys them.
4. Coastal Development:  A lot of coasts are where people around the world want to live, and this development of these coasts causes damage to the reefs.  This damage could be very vast and can wipe out a majority of a reef in a small period of time.
5. Careless Tourism:  Many people visit these coast lines to see their beauty. Unfortunately a lot of them don’t be careful around the reefs as they should. Careless boating, snorkeling, fishing, etc. all contribute to the damaging of the reefs (Coral Reef Alliance, p. 1)                                     

   

   Photo Courtesy of Google Images

                                      

     There are many reasons why the coral reefs are disappearing. The depletion of the coral reefs have a huge impact on everyone, even if you don’t live near the ocean. There are so many benefits to this diverse ecosystem, and so many reasons why we should help save it. Here are a few:

• Most diverse ecosystem on Earth:  The coral reefs are home to a vast amount of marine wildlife that we should value.  About 25% of the marine wildlife call this ecosystem its home.
• Provides food to millions:  Because of the coral reefs biodiversity it contains a lot of different foods that humans (yes, humans) eat. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want any food taken from me.
• Protect Land:  Coral reefs provide a unique protection to the coastal land. The way they are located they actually detour a hurricane or other tropical storm away from the coast.
• Supply natural medicines:  Coral reefs have the ability to have bacterial fighting agents, like penicillin does.  Although it has yet to be found it has the potential to have those agents in its ecosystem (Carilli p. 1).
• BEAUTIFUL!!   

Photo courtesy of Google Images

While there is much destruction being done to the coral reefs, there are many activists and conservationists concerned who are figuring out ways to save the reefs. As of right now many of them are trying the technique of transplanting coral fragments into dying coral reefs.

                                                                  

Works Cited

Carilli, Jessica. "Why Are Coral Reefs Important?" Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 17 June 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

"Threats to Coral Reefs." Coral.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.