Chester Duke C.

Maneja

BSBIO-1 CWTS A

REFLECTION

During the past two sessions of our CWTS class, my comprehension about the Coastal
zones, Coral reef ecosystem along with the Sea grass ecosystem became broader. Our instructor
tackled its significance to the environment and how mankind should take part for its lasting
existence in the world. Learning that the coral reefs often referred to as the “rainforests of the
sea”, coral reefs form some of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. They occupy less than 1%
of the world ocean surface, about half the area of France, yet they provide a home for 25% of all
marine species, including fish, mollusks, echinoderms and sponges. And that, sea grasses are
sometimes labeled ecosystem engineers, because they partly create their own habitat: the leaves
slow down water-currents increasing sedimentation, and the sea grass roots and rhizomes
stabilize the seabed. Additional information about the Mangrove ecosystem was also introduced
to us, reinforcing what I have learned about trees and its importance in the environment. Gaining
insights about how some of these systems partake in marine ecology made me more appreciative
about the water resources and various species that live beneath the ocean.

Through the lectures and video presentation about under-water sea creatures and their
way of life, as a student I am tasked to the promotion and protection of the marine system to the
younger generations by way of inculcating to them the way of life of the organisms and species
that exist in the bodies of water. By showing to them how simple actions affect and contribute
towards the environment would be really of great help to its preservation.