Stressed-Out Corals

Resource Type
Description
This activity explores images of a coral bleaching event, which serve as phenomena for learning about marine ecosystems, human impacts, and climate change.
Stressful environmental conditions may cause corals to force out their symbiotic algae in a process called coral bleaching. Though corals can survive short-term bleaching, their risk of disease and death increases. Human activities have led to an increase in coral bleaching worldwide. This impacts corals, coral reef ecosystems, and human communities that rely on coral reefs.
The “Educator Materials” document includes background information and implementation suggestions for using the images as phenomena. The “Student Handout” includes the images and background information. Note there are two groups of images: the images used in the main activity (Figures a and c), which can be used to introduce coral bleaching concepts, and “extension” images (Figures b, d, and e), which can be used to explore deoxygenation as one cause of coral bleaching.
The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.
Student Learning Targets
- Examine images of phenomena, make observations, and ask questions.
- Collaborate with peers on ideas, ask questions that require higher levels of reasoning, and develop deeper understanding of concepts.
- Describe the process and causes of coral bleaching and how it may be impacted by human activities.
Estimated Time
Key Terms
algae, coral reef, deoxygenation, heat stress, hypoxia, marine biology, microbial mat, oceanography, symbiosis
Primary Literature
Johnson, Maggie D., Jarrod J. Scott, Matthieu Leray, Noelle Lucey, Lucia M. Rodriguez Bravo, William L. Wied, and Andrew H. Altieri. “Rapid ecosystem-scale consequences of acute deoxygenation on a Caribbean coral reef.” Nature Communications 12, 4522 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24777-3.
Terms of Use
The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.
Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)
Version History
NGSS 2013
HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-7; SEP1
AP Biology 2019
SYI-2.B; SP3
IB Biology 2016
4.1, 4.4, C.3
AP Environmental Science 2020
Topics(s): 1.3, 9.5, 9.6 Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-1.C, STB-4.F, STB-4.G, SP2
IB Environmental Systems and Societies 2017
ELA.WHST.9-10.9; ELA.WHST.11-12.9
Common Core 2010
ELA.WHST.9-10.9; ELA.WHST.11-12.9
Vision and Change 2009
CC5; DP1