(—THIS SIDEBAR DOES NOT PRINT—)DESIGN GUIDE

This PowerPoint 2007 template produces a 42”x72” presentation poster. You can use it to create your research poster and save valuable time placing titles, subtitles, text, and graphics.

We provide a series of online answer your poster production questions. To view our template tutorials, go online to PosterPresentations.com and click on HELP DESK.

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QUICK START

Zoom in and outAs you work on your poster zoom in and out to the level that is more comfortable to you. Go to VIEW > ZOOM.

Title, Authors, and AffiliationsStart designing your poster by adding the title, the names of the authors, and the affiliated institutions. You can type or paste text into the provided boxes. The template will automatically adjust the size of your text to fit the title box. You can manually override this feature and change the size of your text.

TIP: The font size of your title should be bigger than your name(s) and institution name(s).

Adding Logos / SealsMost often, logos are added on each side of the title. You can insert a logo by dragging and dropping it from your desktop, copy and paste or by going to INSERT > PICTURES. Logos taken from web sites are likely to be low quality when printed. Zoom it at 100% to see what the logo will look like on the final poster and make any necessary adjustments.

TIP: See if your company’s logo is available on our free poster templates page.

Photographs / GraphicsYou can add images by dragging and dropping from your desktop, copy and paste, or by going to INSERT > PICTURES. Resize images proportionally by holding down the SHIFT key and dragging one of the corner handles. For a professional-looking poster, do not distort your images by enlarging them disproportionally.

Image Quality CheckZoom in and look at your images at 100% magnification. If they look good they will print well.

QUICK START (cont.)

How to change the template color themeYou can easily change the color theme of your poster by going to the DESIGN menu, click on COLORS, and choose the color theme of your choice. You can also create your own color theme.

You can also manually change the color of your background by going to VIEW > SLIDE MASTER. After you finish working on the master be sure to go to VIEW > NORMAL to continue working on your poster.

How to add TextThe template comes with a number of pre-formatted placeholders for headers and text blocks. You can add more blocks by copying and pasting the existing ones or by adding a text box from the HOME menu.

Text sizeAdjust the size of your text based on how much content you have to present. The default template text offers a good starting point. Follow the conference requirements.

How to add TablesTo add a table from scratch go to the INSERT menu and click on TABLE. A drop-down box will help you select rows and columns.

You can also copy and a paste a table from Word or another PowerPoint document. A pasted table may need to be re-formatted by RIGHT-CLICK > FORMAT SHAPE, TEXT BOX, Margins.

Graphs / ChartsYou can simply copy and paste charts and graphs from Excel or Word. Some reformatting may be required depending on how the original document has been created.

How to change the column configurationRIGHT-CLICK on the poster background and select LAYOUT to see the column options available for this template. The poster columns can also be customized on the Master. VIEW > MASTER.

How to remove the info barsIf you are working in PowerPoint for Windows and have finished your poster, save as PDF and the bars will not be included. You can also delete them by going to VIEW > MASTER. On the Mac adjust the Page-Setup to match the Page-Setup in PowerPoint before you create a PDF. You can also delete them from the Slide Master.

Save your workSave your template as a PowerPoint document. For printing, save as PowerPoint or “Print-quality” PDF.

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Tropical fish are found in both freshwater and saltwater and are highly sought after because of their beautiful colors. As the tropical fish trade grows, many are becoming aware of the negative effects that follow. Home aquariums are becoming increasingly popular nationwide, mainly in the United States. Those interested in creating their own aquarium must be aware of where their fish come from. Home aquariums can hurt fish populations and kill coral reefs, but the idea of possessing a home aquarium should not be immediately labeled as bad for tropical ecosystems.

In order to responsibly own a home aquarium, one must research and educate themselves on safe fish practices and purchasing. If one purchases a fish captured from the wild, it is very likely that the fish has been caught using cyanide. Cyanide has devastating effects which include temporarily paralyzing any fish that makes contact and also bleaching or killing of the coral reef in which tropical fish reside.

Coral reefs are collagenous (Containing collagen) structures formed by countless tiny polyps (related to sea anemone and jellyfish) that attach themselves to rocks and multiply. Coral reefs form in warm and tropical waters. This is because corals are limited to residing in waters that are approximately 65 degrees fahrenheit or higher. They also must reside in shallow and very saline waters in order to grow. (National Ocean Services 1) This is because they contain algae called zooxanthellae that contain chlorophyll. Zooxanthellae and coral have a symbiotic relationship because zooxanthellae hide inside the tissue of polyps and feed off of the coral they inhabit while providing coral with nutrients through photosynthesis. There are three types of coral reefs; fringing reefs which grow from the land outwards towards the sea, atoll reefs which start out as fringing reefs but continue to grow upwards while the island they grow off of subsides under water (National Ocean Services 2), and barrier reefs which are similar to fringing reefs because they also act as a border but they are formed in the ocean versus on land which creates a deep lagoon. There are over 600 species of hard corals and an estimated 5,000 different species of reef fishes that inhabit coral reefs. (Kerry)

-This picture originally from pmfias.com (Oceanography) shows the 3 main forms of reefs

Tropical fish usually reside in coral reefs. The reef acts as countless species of fishes’ habitat, shelter, and nourishment. Corallivorous fish such as Butterflyfish (Chaetodon Melannotus) rely on the coral as their direct, main source of nutrients. (Cole Et. Al.) Among corallivorous fish, there are three main methods that these fish feed off the coral. Polyp feeders use their mouth to remove individual polyps without actually damaging the coral underneath, Mucous feeders feed off of the mucous substance that zooxanthellae emit, and skeletal feeders scrape the coral surface with their beak like mouth to feed on the outer layer of coral. Skeletal feeders often damage the inner skeleton of coral which takes a substantial amount of time to heal. (Kerry) Even if a certain fish does not directly feed on the coral, they can still benefit by feeding on prey such as various invertebrate that also inhabit the reefs. Without the coral reef, many fish will find themselves with nowhere to hide from predators and nowhere to live and countless species will more than likely go extinct due to the destruction of their habitat.

Fish rely on coral reefs for nourishment and shelter but the coral reef also relies on the fish to keep the ecosystem balanced. For example, if fish populations that play a key role in bioerosion such as Scarus Vetula commonly known as the parrotfish become endangered, algae will go unchecked causing the balance to be upset. (Glynn, Manzello) The coral reefs and the fish that inhabit and surround it work in symbiosis, if one dies, the other will follow. Because of this, we must make a conscious effort to not only conserve and protect the coral reefs but also not overfish. -Bioerosion: the chemical breakdown of coral reef

The tropical fish trade started as early as the 1930’s but trade began to increase dramatically in the 1950’s. (Wood 5) The tropical fish trade market is valued at around 200 million-330 Million dollars per year. Fish such as the Paracanthurus Hepatus commonly known as the Blue Tang have been drastically overfished from their natural habitats. The blue tang experienced a spike in popularity once the movie Finding Nemo was released in 2003. If fish are taken from the wild and overfished, it will result in a dramatically unbalanced ecosystem. The balance of an ecosystem is dior to the survival of the community as a whole. (Tropical Fish and Their Environment)

In the United States, because of the Lacey Act it is illegal to import fish caught using cyanide. Even though it is illegal, it is extremely difficult to implement methods to track where a fish is caught and whether or not cyanide was used. The United States Fish and Wildlife Services is in charge of inspecting wildlife shipments and must confirm that such shipments are non-CITES listed aquarium species. In order to efficiently track the origin and amount of tropical fish imported into the United States, we must create a better organized monitoring system. In order to implement such a system, we must require more accurate and concise accounts of trade data. (Rhyne At. Al.) But until such a system is created, it is up to the consumer to purchase fish in a responsible manner.

When choosing fish to purchase, it is very easy to overlook whether or not a fish was imported. Imported fish are more than likely caught from the wild using illegal catching methods. In order to save our marine ecosystem and our coral reefs from further damage, one must track where their fish come from. As stated prior, many fish such as the Blue Tang have been overfished to the point of endangerment. As a collector, it is your duty to track where your fish come from to ensure that they were bred in captivity rather than fished out of the ocean. Purchasing fish bred in captivity is essential for the wellbeing of our coral reefs and the ecosystem as a whole.

● Bale, R. (2016, March 22). The Horrendous Way Fish are Captured for Your Aquarium-With Cyanide. Retrieved December 4, 2017, from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160310-aquarium-saltwater-tropical-fish-cyanide-coral-reefs/

● Cole, A. J., Et.Al. (2008). Diversity and Functional Importance Of Coral Feeding-Fishes On Tropical Coral Reefs. Research Gate . Retrieved December 4, 2017, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227815012_Diversity_and_functional_importance_of_coral-feeding_fishes_on_tropical_coral_reefs.

● The Coral Triangle (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2017, from http://www.coraltriangle.org/conservation/Conservation-CoralTriangle-Marine-Culture-Biodiversity-Fisheries.html

● Glynn, P. W., & Manzello, D. P. (1970, January 01). Bioerosion and Coral Reef Growth: A Dynamic Balance. Retrieved December 4, 2017, from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-7249-5_4

● Scott, I. (n.d.). Regal Tang (Pacific Blue Tang, Palette Surgeonfish). Retrieved December 4, 2017, from http://www.aboutfishonline.com/articles/regal-tang.html

● Kerry, J. (n.d.). Relationship between corals and fishes on the Great Barrier Reef. Retrieved December 4, 2017, from http://eatlas.org.au/content/relationship-between-corals-and-fishes-great-barrier-reef

● PMFIAS. (2016, March 20). Coral Reef - Fringing Reef | Barrier Reef | Atoll. Retrieved December 4, 2017, from https://www.pmfias.com/coral-reef-fringing-reefs-barrier-reefs-atolls/

● Rhyne, A. L., Et.Al. (2012, May 12). Revealing the Appetite of the Marine Aquarium Fish Trade: The Volume and Biodiversity of Fish Imported into the United States. Retrieved December 4, 2017

● US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2013, June 01). Corals. Retrieved December 4, 2017, from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_corals/coral05_distribution.html

● US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2008, November 20). What are the three main types of coral reefs? Retrieved December 4, 2017, from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/threecorals.html

● Wood, E. (2001). Collection of Coral Reef Fish for Aquaria: Global Trade, Conservation Issues and Management Strategies. Marine Conservation Society. Retrieved December 4, 2017.

-Polyp feeder example: Butterflyfish (Chaetodon

Melannotus)

Image supplied by http://eatlas.org. (Relationship Between

Corals and Fishes on the Great Barrier Reef)

-Mucous feeder example: Tubelib Wrasse (Labrichthys

Unilineatus)

Image supplied by http://eatlas.org. (Relationship Between

Corals and Fishes on the Great Barrier Reef)

-Skeletal Feeder example: Bumphead Parrotfish

(Bolbometopon Muricatum)

Image supplied by http://eatlas.org. (Relationship Between

Corals and Fishes on the Great Barrier Reef)

If one desires to own a home aquarium, they must educate himself to responsibly purchase fish. To do so, one must confirm that the fish they purchase have been bred in captivity. If a tropical fish has been bred in captivity, there is no way for the purchasing of said fish to hurt the environment of that fish’s origin. Purchasing a fish bred in captivity also ensures that the fish has been treated properly.

Fishes that are plucked out of the wild are usually caught in tropical areas such as Indonesia, Philippines, Hawaii, and countless other areas around the world. (Wood 5) The fishermen that catch these fishes often use sodium cyanide to impair the fish. Up to 90% of all fish imported to the United States are caught using cyanide, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Bale) If the cyanide does not kill the targeted fish, it temporarily impairs the fish making it impossible for the fish to swim and also hard for the fish to breath. The fish that survive the initial effects of cyanide show no immediate after effects that may have been caused by cyanide. It is not until around 2 weeks after that the fish show signs of liver damage as well as abnormalities of the kidney, spleen, and brain. The signs of liver damage include loss of appetite, becoming lethargic, and most of the time death. Taking a closer look, it is evident that a large sum of the fish’s liver cells are replaced with fat (Rubec 2)

Cyanide does not only harm the fish, it has proven to be extremely detrimental to coral reefs and the surrounding organisms as well. Many experiments affirm that coral does not initially show signs of mortality due to exposure to cyanide. Former cyanide collectors state that corals begin to die approximately one week to one month after exposure while studies show that it takes multiple separate occasions of exposure for coral to die. When coral dies due to cyanide, it will look bleached in color and overrun with algae. (Rubec 4) Purchasing fish bred in captivity will prevent the overfishing of wild fish, prevent the coral reefs from continued depletion and also support those that do not use cruel and destructive methods to capture tropical fish.

-Cyanide fishermen use squirt bottles filled with diluted

cyanide to render fish useless and easy to capture

(Picture provided by coraltriangle.org)

-Fact: Clownfish also spiked in popularity but

were bred in captivity prior to Finding Nemo

-Fact: Coral makes up approximately

80% of a corallivorous fishes diet

-Blue Tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus):

Found in coastal waters, coral reefs, and

rocky or grassy inshore areas (Waters

from New York to Brazil)Picture features a Regal Blue Tang (aboutfishonline.com)

-CITES: Convention on the International Trade in

Endangered Species

-CITES confirms whether or not certain species are

allowed to be imported

-Pictured is a devastating amount of coral bleaching located in Fiji. The bleaching may be due to changes in water temperature, an increase in pollution, and/or exposure to cyanide. (globalcoralbleaching.org)