What is the food chain of coral reefs?

In a coral reef ecosystem, the primary producers are plankton and algae. Primary consumers include sea cucumbers and parrot fish. Secondary consumers include sharks, dolphins, eels, sea horses, jellyfish, and starfish. Decomposers are mainly bacteria.

Who eats who in the coral reef?

In addition to weather, corals are vulnerable to predation. Fish, marine worms, barnacles, crabs, snails and sea stars all prey on the soft inner tissues of coral polyps. In extreme cases, entire reefs can be devastated if predator populations become too high.

How does coral bleaching affect food chains?

Coral bleaching events that lead to significant coral mortality can drive large shifts in fish communities. This can translate into reduced catches for fishers targeting reef fish species, which in turn leads to impacts on food supply and associated economic activities.

What animals are affected by coral bleaching?

The Impacts Thousands of marine animals depend on coral reefs for survival, including some species of sea turtles, fish, crabs, shrimp, jellyfish, sea birds, starfish, and more.

How are food webs in a coral reef ecosystem?

FooD Webs in a coral reef ecosystem. A food web is a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains. In each food web there are several trophic levels. The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in the food chain. These trophic levels include: primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers and tertiary consumers.

What kind of food does the coral reef eat?

Trophic Levels 1 Heterotrophic 2 Carnivorous 3 Eat primary consumers 4 Examples: larger reef fish, lobsters and sea turtles

Who are the primary consumers of coral reefs?

Primary Consumers- The second trophic level in coral reef ecosystems are primary consumers such as zooplankton, coral polyps, sponges, mollusks, sea urchins, starfish, and small fish. Secondary Consumers- The third trophic level in a coral reef ecosystem are the secondary consumers that eat primary consumers.

Why are the corals in the ocean turning white?

In response to stresses such as higher water temperatures, corals can lose the symbiotic microscopic algae (which provides up to 95% of the coral’s nutrition) from their tissues causing them to look white or “bleached.” If favorable conditions return, corals can sometimes recover.