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ReefLink Database

Plankton

Plankton

Plankton are any plants or animals that are too small to actively move against ocean currents.

CMap

Coral is a colonial marine animal consisting of polyps. Discharges are the intentional or unintentional distribution of chemicals, debris, or other pollution, into the environment as a consequence of human activities. Ecosystem monitoring and restoration refers to responses to directly alter the condition of the reef ecosystem through restoration or remediation activities, setting limits on degradation through biological criteria or water quality criteria, or improving knowledge through monitoring, mapping, and scientific research. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems . An Invertebrate is any animal that lacks a backbone. Landscape Changes are alterations of the natural landscape through human activities, including coastal development, shoreline armoring, impervious surfaces, deforestation, or soil disturbance, which can alter water flow patterns and lead to pollutant runoff into coastal systems. The Reef Ecosystem includes a suite of abiotic variables that form the physical and chemical environment. Planktivorous Fish are fish that feed primarily on plankton. Plankton are any plants or animals that are too small to actively move against ocean currents. Pressures are human activities that create stress on the environment. The state of the Reef Ecosystem is the condition, in terms of quantity and quality, of the abiotic and biotic components including physical, chemical, and biological variables. Reef Habitat is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the benthic components of the reef ecosystem. Reef Inhabitants are all of the motile components of the reef ecosystem, including fish, invertebrates, marine reptiles and mammals, and are quantified by their abundance, distribution, and condition. Reef Life is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the biological components of the coral reef ecosystem. Responses are actions taken by groups or individuals in society and government to prevent, compensate, ameliorate or adapt to changes in Ecosystem Services or their perceived value. Socio-Economic Drivers include the sectors that fulfill human needs for Food & Raw Materials, Water, Shelter, Health, Culture, and Security, and the Infrastructure that supports the sectors. Sponges are sessile colonial animals with soft porous bodies supported by a fibrous skeletal framework. Supporting services are ecological processes that indirectly benefit humans by maintaining a functional ecosystem for the production of other ecosystem goods and services. Wetland and reef restoration are activities to directly improve, reestablish, or repair degraded ecosystems. Whales & Dolphins are marine mammals of the order cetacea Anemones & zooanthids are cnidarians very similar to coral, but are not characteristic reef builders. Biocriteria are narrative expressions or numeric values that describe the biological condition (structure and function) of aquatic communities inhabiting waters of a designated aquatic life use. Biological monitoring is the use of a biological entity as a detector and its response as a measure to determine environmental conditions. Biological monitoring, mapping, and scientific research are activities to track the condition of populations, communities, and habitat, and to understand the processes, stressors, and ecological interactions that affect that condition. Carbon storage and cycling is the ability of an ecosystem to utilize, process, and store carbon. Contact Uses, such as biological additions, physical damage, and biological harvesting, are activities in which humans create pressures through direct contact with the ecosystem.

CMap Description

Plankton are the drifting plants and animals that are too small to actively move against ocean currents. Being very numerous in numbers these tiny organisms create the foundation of the trophic web. Plankton are consumed by the reef habitat organisms (coral, sponges, anemones & zooanthids), as well as the reef inhabitants (whales & dolphins, invertebrates, and small herbivorous fish). Plankton are also a major contributor to the carbon storage & cycling service of reefs and the ocean as a whole. Pressures caused by socio-economic drivers can disturb the physical & chemical environment and adversely affect the survival, growth, & reproduction of plankton. Biological monitoring & restoration is essential in identifying changes in the abundance and condition plankton; as well as in determining appropriate responses to maintain the supply of ecosystem services and ensure the benefits to human health and well-being.

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