The Beauty of Coral Reefs
A brief introduction to coral reefs and the JWPM collection
Although coral reefs cover less than 0.1% of the earth’s surface, they are the most biodiverse marine ecosystem in the world and are home to many endemic species. The structure and placement of coral reefs can protect coastlines from erosion and large storms, while the many organisms that call coral reefs their home are an important reservoir of knowledge — providing medical researchers with ideas for new medicine.
At the Joe Webb Peoples Museum, our current coral collection consists of around 250 specimens collected in the 1800s from nearly 20 different localities. These specimens were collected by a variety of interesting characters including George Brown Goode, a former curator of the museum, Charles Wilkes, captain of the United States Exploring Expedition from 1838 to 1842, and Xantus, a famous naturalist. Aside from their beauty, these coral specimens can tell us a lot about ocean and coral reef conditions in the 1800s, helping us better understand our changing ocean environment.
Physiology of Coral
Types of Reefs
Reef formation depends on the material of the surface to which reef building corals bind, light levels, salinity, and suitable temperature conditions. When reef building coral larvae enter an environment where all these conditions are met, a coral reef is formed.
There are 3 types of coral reefs
Joe Webb Peoples Museum
In the 1800s naturalists pioneering the frontier of the natural world did so by collecting and preserving flora and fauna they found in the field. These specimens were then jarred, dried, or taxidermied and sent either to private collectors to be stored in personal cabinets of curiosities, or sent to institutions such as museums or universities. These institutions also sponsored individuals and expeditions in the hopes of collecting and identifying new species, as well as bolstering their collections.
Similarly, the recent coral collection at the Joe Webb People’s museum was collected by naturalists along with explorers who by chance collected coral on their expeditions and wanted to donate it to the museum.
Current Coral Collection
Thanks to the scanning efforts of museum workers, we have some of the coral specimens in our collection 3D scanned so that they can be observed digitally. Visit the linked website to view other 3D coral scans.
Due to the wide range of collection events, the current coral collection showcases an array of coral from many localities.
Craft Sea Critters
Recently the Joe Webb Peoples Museum has started a new project titled Craft Sea Critter. Join us in creating a Wesleyan community built crafted ocean ecosystem! Learn how to crochet sea creatures at one of our events or make one following your own design and drop it off at one of our drop boxes. The main animals building reefs in the modern world are corals, but we welcome other reef builders and dwellers, including sponges, clams, fish, sea-slugs, turtles, octopus, sharks and whatever else you can think of! Not only will our ecosystem be home to modern day ocean critters - extinct animals like ammonites, ichthyosaurs, and mosasaurs are welcome as well! Crocheted, knitted, embroidered, 3D-printed, no matter the medium all contributions to our ocean reef are welcome. Check out our website for more information about the project and learn how to get involved: