Baby reef fish can ‘sniff out’ their relatives before they hatch
A recent discovery has uncovered that two species of damselfish can recognise their relatives by smell – and it’s all happening before any of them have even hatched. Dr. Jen Atherton
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
The following contains educational material developed by or in collaboration with CoralCoE researchers.
Former CoralCoE researcher Mariana Fuentes wrote two children story books for Torres Strait Islands children. Click on the photos to download pdf versions.
Myrtle’s battle against climate change
Dhyum the Dugong
Fish and People is a 50-minute production divided into educational modules explaining the ‘stock-recruitment relationship’ in an easily accessible manner and with a carefully crafted portfolio of explanatory graphics and natural history photography. Fish and People has been scripted by marine biologists Simon Foale and Russell Kelley, and produced by The Eco Media Production Group. You can watch all modules (videos) below or directly on the CoralCoE Youtube channel. More information and downloads (videos, lesson plans, teacher’s guide) can be found here.
These booklets, designed by CoE researcher Simon Foale, are useful for Papua New Guinea students to help them understand the environmental impacts of mining using the Lihir Mine as a case study. The material contained in the booklets includes both simple explanations as well as more complex ones for each scientific principle that relates to the environmental issue in question.
Click on the images to download .pdf version.
1. The cloud cycle and acid rain
2. Smoke and steam
3. Acids and acid rock drainage
4. Gardening and soil fertility
Teacher’s Guide: Environmental Impacts of Mining on Lihir
The following links are good external resources to introduce young people to coral reefs in simple terms with lots of pictures and questions/answer sections.
Search for ‘coral’ education material designed for primary schools on the National Science Daily Digital Library. The National Science Digital Library provides high quality online educational resources for teaching and learning, with current emphasis on the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
Great Barrier Reef & Coral facts (KidCyber). Kidcyber is a website established in 1999 for primary students and teachers.
Kids do Ecology. This site looks at the natural environment describing different habitats (called biomes), including one on Coral Reefs. This site also has information on marine mammals, and classroom activities. The Kids Do Ecology program from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) provides these scientists with an opportunity to volunteer in the Santa Barbara community by adopting local 5th grade classes.
The Coral Biome (Enchanted Learning). A terrific online resource founded in 1993 for educating children about coral reefs and their inhabitants. This site has coral reef animal printouts for colouring in or projects.
Coral Reefs and Oceans (Magic Porthole). Multimedia resources, online experiences and background information about coral reefs as well as links to other sources.
Microdocs (videos). The Short Attention Span Science Video Theatre offers 2-4 minute Microdocs, streaming on the web, that deliver science one idea at a time. Microdocs are written by leading scientists and are filmed on location across the world. The videos are eye-catching and full of the newest science.
Search for ‘coral’ education material designed for high schools on the National Science Daily Digital Library. The National Science Digital Library provides high quality online educational resources for teaching and learning, with current emphasis on the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
Sydney Aquarium. The Sydney aquarium’s website has free downloads of a comprehensive range of curriculum-based educational kits for grades 3-12.
National Ocean Service Education. Education resources on ocean, coastal, and climate designed for students and educators.
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation program: Education and Outreach. Resources for educators, outreach resources, and resources on ocean acidification. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce. It conducts environmental research. The mission of NOAA is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources.
Coral & Coral Reefs (SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment). Animal InfoBook. Dive in to the details about the diversity, complexity, and beauty of the ocean’s coral reefs. SeaWorld is a theme park and entertainment company.
Corals and reefs. The Marine Education Society of Australasia (MESA), provides a forum for the sharing of ideas to facilitate the development of leading environmental education and interpretation programs with a coastal and marine focus. MESA also promotes the sustainable use of marine and coastal environments through education.
About Coral and Coral Reefs. Educational material developed along the 2003 film Coral Reef Adventure (watch the trailer) by MacGillivray Freeman. As with all their other films, they developed an extensive Teacher’s Guide containing classroom activities you can participate in before or after seeing the film.
Ocean World. A joint venture between NASA/JPL and the Texas A&M Department of Oceanography, USA. It focuses on Oceanography but also has lots of good information on fish and reefs.
ProjectNET for schools. The Australia Institute for Marine Science (AIMS) is an Australian research institute. This webpage is designed for school project activities, to complement existing course work, and aid students undertaking marine science projects. Where appropriate, links for further reading and information are provided. The site contains covers a wide range of topics including biology of marine animals, algae, coral reefs, the history of the Great Barrier Reef, bleaching and much more.
Fishes. The Australian museum fish site. Identify a fish, fish movie clips and FAQ about fish.
A Students Guide to Global Climate Change. Sponsored by the United States Environment Protection Agency. It explains what climate change is and what we can do about it. This link has resources for teachers and also some games for young students (middle school level).
Climate change and Coral bleaching. Imagine you are on a beautiful tropical island on the Great Barrier Reef. You put on your mask, fins and snorkel and jump into the water. But instead of the famous brightly coloured coral, you see a drab underwater landscape dominated by blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) and seaweed, but no corals… Nova’s Science for curious minds provides jargon-free, accessible information on various science topics. It’s managed by the Australian Academy of Science, and was established in 1997 as one of the first science communication websites in Australia.
Coral bleaching. Article by Reef Teach, a Cairns-based education centre for The Great Barrier Reef.
A recent discovery has uncovered that two species of damselfish can recognise their relatives by smell – and it’s all happening before any of them have even hatched. Dr. Jen Atherton
A world-first study has found that petroleum-based oil, even in small amounts, causes coral reef fishes to engage in risky behaviours, endangering both their lives and the health of the reefs around t
The Achilles heel of coral growth is high temperatures, not ocean acidification, according to researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and The University of Western Austral
A new study has ingeniously reconstructed a 103-year record of the Queensland east coast Spanish Mackerel spawning fishery, and revealed that catch rates have declined by 70 per cent over the past 80
Abstract. Abundance patterns in ecological communities have important implications for biodiversity maintenance and ecosystem functioning. However, ecological theory has been largely unsuccessful at
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Abstract. Protected areas provide a corner-stone in efforts to conserve biodiversity in the face of ongoing habitat loss and degradation. Existing protected area networks need to be greatly expanded i
Abstract. Spatial nutrients subsidies between ecosystems can be key to ecosystem structure and productivity. For example, seabirds feeding in the open ocean can deposit large quantities of nutrients o
Abstract. Coral reefs are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet and are extremely important ecologically, economically, socially and scientifically. Spurs and grooves are a common feat
Abstract. Conservation problems are inherently complex with effective solutions dependent on the ability to integrate and apply diverse concepts, approaches, and tools. Here, I describe how we have us
Abstract. The finance sector has been attracting significant attention in the media lately for their support, or lack thereof, for projects that are expected to exacerbate the problem of climate chang
Partner Research Institutions
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au