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Saved by a Shark: Coral Reef Ecosystems

Saved by a Shark video, lesson plan, related Web sites, and the ocean literacy principle.

Great White Shark. Photograph by Kip F. Evans Video: Saved by a Shark » Predators play an important role in a coral reef ecosystem. Take a dive in the warm waters of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, where you can watch and learn about predator-prey roles. The video conveys the importance of sharks and other predators to the ecosystem. The video contains footage of hammerheads, dusky sharks, and other large predators that are seen by divers and scientists during expeditions to the Flower Gardens. For more information on sharks and the Flower Garden Banks Sanctuary Program, visit: http://flowergarden.noaa.gov. This Web site provides information on marine habitats and fishes of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, photographs, maps, and other useful information for teachers and scientists. Lesson Plan: Saved by a Shark » This lesson will depict the effect that sharks have in the Caribbean coral reef system and will show students how over-fishing of sharks has a ripple effect on the marine ecosystem. Students will learn about the balance in the reef ecosystem among sharks and other carnivorous fish, their prey, and algae. Students will see that predatory behavior is not inherently negative and that predators are an important part of a balanced ecosystem. Ocean Literacy Principle #6: The ocean and humans are inextricably linked. Read more about Ocean Literacy »

Submitted July 12, 2005, by Helen Huang

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Though we live in the desert, we love visiting the ocean. We're also well aware that our lives are interwined with it. Our 9+ year drought has us thinking of water. These boys & girls I teach need to learn a different way, so they are getting biology credit for working on oceanography.
—Sharon Lang, August 29, 2007

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