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costal environments - Coggle Diagram
costal environments
coral reefs
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals built up over 1000’s of years.
Corals are formed by polyps (tiny animals) – small anemone like creatures that settle on bare surfaces and proceed to grow and form calcium skeletons in the rock
they can be found between the tropic of cancer and capricorn, they normally grow in tropical areas . But they need 4 main things to grow
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exp: caribbbean reef, great barrier reef
benefits of coral reefs
fishing
Local people can fish in coral reefs both for themselves and for commercial fishing (to be sold) providing food and jobs.
medicine
Algae and sponges are used in medicines. Some species are being researched for possible cancer treatments, and corals are also used for bone grafts.
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tourism
People come from all over the world to reef areas, bringing much needed money for LEDCs to boost their GNP
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mangroves
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Mangrove forests are forests that apear along the coast in
costal wetlands and consist of trees and shrubs with large roots.
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threats to mangroves
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global warming
the increase of the water temperature is bad for mangroves as the yneed a specific temperature of the water to live
sand dunes
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evolution of sand dunes
- embryo dune: Sand which is being transported by the wind (aeolian transport) trips and gets deposited on the beach behind an obstacle, this obstacle can be dead grass or litter.
- fore dune: As the sand continues to be deposited on the dune the dune starts to grow and some plants like marram grass start to colonise the dune making the dune more stable, the long roots of the plant stabilise the dune
- yellow dune:The process of deposition of sand will continue until the dune reaches 10 m where the dune will stop growing. There are more plants getting to the dune now as it is further from the sea
- Gray dune: The plants in the dune start to die off leaving behind hummus which is organic matter. This residue gives a gray colour to the dune and make it more stable
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salt marshes
Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides.
- Slit and mud are deposited by rivers or gentle tides to form mudflats
2.vegetation starts to grow, this vegetation is salt tolerant as the place still gets flooded easely
- The slit and mud is continuously deposited making the mudland higher and more resistent
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biotic and abiotic
biotic factors
Biotic factors are living things within an ecosystem; such as plants, animals, and bacteria.
abiotic factors
Abiotic are non-living components; such as water, soil and atmosphere. The way these components interact is critical in an ecosystem.