Table of ContentsSummaryIntroductionTopic AnalysisConclusionSummaryThe following research was conducted to evaluate the effect(s) caused by the depletion of a specific predator, the green turtle, in the Andros Barrier Reef on the growth and survival of coral reefs. More specifically, a cascading top-down effect on the coral reef ecosystem is inferred, since green turtles both directly and indirectly control the amount of seagrass and algae in this ecosystem. Excess nutrition could be considered a liability to coral reefs, and the green turtle is helpful by eliminating the effects of excess nutrients and seagrass growth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayGreen turtle depletion directly contributes to growth and overabundance due to its role in regulation and consumption seagrasses and algae. It is very important to observe how detrimental the level of coral reef nutrient production is to the survival of green sea turtles. Additionally, algae and seagrasses have a competitive relationship with corals, competing for nutrients, sunlight and space. The proliferation of algae and seagrass on the coral reef could cause large patches of coral to disappear, which is why it is such a source of interest in order to amplify its effects on these biological structures.IntroductionThe coral reef of Andros is the third largest barrier in the world. reef, extending approximately 220 km from the Joulter Cays, found around Andros Island, Bahamas (Davenport, 2008). The reef is divided into five main zones based on architectural formation, distribution and development; the lagoon, the outer fore-reef, the inner fore-reef, the reef crest and the back-reef. Andros is not considered a “true” coral reef system due to the shallow depth of the lagoon and proximity to the coastline. The Andros Barrier Reef slopes toward a vertical cliff that drops to a depth of about 2,000 feet into an ocean trench. generally called “Language of the Ocean”. The Andros Reef is made up of small colonies of soft-bodied coral polyps. Their hard skeletons constitute the exoskeleton of the reef. The main coral species found in Andros Reef are smooth brain coral, staghorn coral, water gorgonian and sea stick. Barrier reefs are of great importance as they constitute the most diverse ecosystem on earth; the Andros Barrier Reef is home to twenty-five percent of all marine species (Cranton and Sanders, 1993). Scientists have described more than 164 species of fish and corals that make up the Andros Barrier Reef. The coral reef depends on herbivorous fish to maintain the balance of algae formation and growth, as algae compete with corals for sunlight, space and nutrients which are of importance extreme for the survival of coral reefs. If left unregulated, their growth could kill large areas of coral. In the following research, the effects of depletion of reef sharks from the Andros coral reef, as well as inferences about the effects on the growth of juvenile fish living in seagrass beds, are evaluated. For what follows, we propose that the depletion of reef sharks on the Andros Barrier Reef will create a cascading top-down effect in the coral reef system. Analysis ofsubject The global ecosystem functions through its trophic level. Trophic, derived from the Greek word meaning food and/or nourishment, essentially describes an organism's position in the food chain. This position is determined by the tendency of the organism to eat or be eaten. Primary producers, which are autotrophic, use the sun's energy for food and convert it into biomass. The biomass will in turn be consumed by primary, secondary and tertiary consumers. Each of these interactions would constitute what we call the trophic level of an ecosystem. As you can see in the figure above, the trophic dynamics of an ecosystem will result in a pyramid shape with the bulk of primary producers at the bottom and a lesser amount of top predators at the top. It is important that this distribution of organisms in their respective trophic levels remains intact, because a change in balance would lead to undesirable effects for the ecosystem. The relationship between organisms in an ecosystem can be visualized through the organization of their respective trophic levels in a food chain. A food chain contains four main trophic levels: primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. Primary producers form the foundation of any food chain and are made up of autotrophs that synthesize organic compounds through photosynthesis. In a coral reef, common autotrophs are phytoplankton (i.e. diatoms), algae, and zooxanthellae. The organisms that feed on this first level are the main consumers. These consumers are herbivores and include a range of marine species such as zooplankton, grazers and invertebrate larvae, sea urchins, crabs and sea turtles (CoralScience.org). They play an important role in the functioning of the coral reef system by regulating algae. Too much algae can be detrimental to corals and the end result is coral death. Specific to the Andros Barrier Reef, the Queen Angel, King Angel, Green Turtle and Parrotfish (Andros Barrier Reef) are all abundant primary consumers that feed on soft corals, skeletons corals, plants and plankton. The next trophic level of food web organisms are secondary consumers and include corallivores, piscivores (which feed on fish), organisms that feed on plankton, and organisms that feed on other benthic invertebrates (that i.e. primary consumers) (CoralScience.org). Secondary consumers found in the Andros Barrier Reef include the Blue Tang, Flying Gurnard, Rock Lobster, and Queen Trigger. They are known to feed respectively on plankton, small crustaceans and invertebrates, worms and sea urchins. At the top of the food chain are tertiary consumers, large fish that primarily eat smaller fish below them in the food chain. Tertiary consumers can be predators, but they can also be non-predatory. In Andros, tertiary consumers include the large barracuda, feeding on herring and tuna, the green moray eel, feeding on fish and squid, the trumpet fish, feeding on small fish, and the reef shark, feeding feeding on everything, including small fish and cephalopods. The balance of each trophic level in an ecosystem is very important for the survival of the ecosystem. When we ask the question of which organisms in an ecosystem play a key role in theregulation of its trophic levels, ecologists solemnly consider it to be the apex predator. The trophic stability of an ecosystem strongly depends on predation. Predation from an apex predator keeps other trophic levels in check by controlling the population of multiple species in the right proportion, preventing prey species from harming an ecosystem by becoming excessively populated (Menge and Sutherland). By preventing multiple trophic levels from exceeding their capacities, competition is mitigated, which would also allow growth and speciation (Dodson 1974). Removing one apex predator from an ecosystem will cause the entire ecosystem to collapse. The aforementioned truth about predation is that it helps the ecosystem. In the Andros Coral Reef, the stability and diversity of the marine environment remains intact thanks to interactions with its main predator. The reef shark is known as the apex predator of the Andros Barrier Reef. Its presence is crucial for the survival of the ecosystem, so much so that its removal would portend inevitable destruction of the ecosystem in a top-down manner (Robbins 2006). Reef sharks, as apex predators, feed opportunistically as well as on sick animals. , fish old and weak in their prey population. This trend keeps the reef population in competitive "fit" and will allow diversity and speciation to occur during evolution. Conservationists consider sharks a keystone species and the concept of an ecosystem deprived of their apex predator would lead to the endangerment or extinction of many other marine species directly or indirectly. Many studies have been carried out on the direct and indirect involvement of an apex species in an ecosystem. As a basis for our research, we will observe the study reported and conducted by the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). This organization carried out a study on the impact of the loss of an apex predator, particularly a shark, on its ecosystem. The group recorded effects when the shark was rare in the environment over long periods of time and interpreted the data over multiple periods. On several occasions, when the presence of sharks decreased, the number of prey increased. Since a shark's diet consists of multiple prey species, prey numbers would obviously increase in their absence. A shark's niche could not be intact with its numbers declining and primary consumers beginning to grow, as shown in the model below produced by the AAAS. Using the data above, we established the idea that the loss of a peak at our site would result in the loss of a shark. increase in the number of primary and secondary consumers, often called mesopredators. In particular, reducing the population of reef sharks would increase the quantity of green turtles. Although green turtles are important to coral reef health due to their consumption of algae, their overabundance could be detrimental to coral reef diversity. From our food web at the Andros site, we observed that the only species that keep green turtles away are reef sharks. Without a predator, green turtles experience unhindered growth and reproductive rates. The increased numbers of green turtles would put immense pressure on the primary production of seagrass, which is their staple food. Carnivorous from newborn but becoming herbivorous after maturation, adult green sea turtles only graze on seagrass and algae. Ultimately, their potential overpopulation?