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Please complete the reflection (word limit: 150 words) after the Coastal Ecologist Biology Field Trip. Task completion will be part of the continuous assessment (CA1) in S.5.

Submission deadline: 27 March 2025

(1) Write down your class and name in a new box.

(2) Upload ONE photo that you find most insightful or meaningful from the biology field trip.

(3) Choose ONE of the following thinking routines to share your thoughts about the field trip to Sandy Shore.

[See, Think, Wonder] OR

[Connect, Extend, Challenge] OR

[I Used to Think... Now I Think...]

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See: What specific details do you notice in the photo that remind you of what you observed during the field trip to the sandy shore?

Think: Based on your lab work and field observations, what do you think is happening in the ecosystem shown in the photo?

Wonder: What questions do you have about the organisms or processes shown in the photo that you would like to explore further?

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Connect:

How does what you see in the photo connect to something you learned during the field trip or lab work?

Extend:

What new idea or insight does the photo give you about the sandy shore ecosystem that you didn’t realize before?

Challenge:

What is still puzzling or challenging for you to understand about the sandy shore ecosystem based on the photo and your experience?

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I Used to Think...

Looking at the photo, what did you used to think about sandy shore ecosystems before the field trip and lab work?

Now I Think...

How has your understanding of sandy shore ecosystems changed after the field trip and lab work, based on what you see in the photo?

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used to think HK doesn’t have many corals or organisms in the sea especially near the shores as I ‘ ve been thinking that HK has serious pollution problems, and most of the organisms (including corals)would live in the deep sea. Also I didn’t notice there are organisms attach to rocks and clams under the sand before.

Now I used to think that HK has more organisms compared to what I think, and I never expected I would see jelly fish and carols near the shores (as carols have to capture more sunlight), and even crab. this is kind of a new thing to me.

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I used to think that the water in Hong Kong was predominantly polluted, making it nearly impossible to find any visible corals along the sandy shores. My perception was clouded by the urban environment, leading me to believe that marine life was scarce. However, after experiencing the field trip, I discovered that Hong Kong is home to protected marine parks teeming with diverse coral species, such as brain coral and honeycomb coral, and there's even jellyfish! This realization has transformed my understanding of sandy shore ecosystems, highlighting the importance of conservation in preserving these vibrant habitats.

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See: I see different kinds of sea organisms in this photo, including corals, Colpominia sinuosa (囊藻) etc.

Think: I think the ecosystem is being damaged. As mentioned by the instructors in the WWF centre, coral bleaching is getting worse because of climate change.

Wonder: How exactly do corals reproduce? What are some ways we can help to protect the corals?

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See: that day I saw a lot of marine organisms such as jellyfishes, I wasn’t expecting to see them, however I saw quite a lot, particularly smaller ones

Think: I think HK people should care more about marine life and the ecosystem in general

Wonder: I wonder if ecological problems such as coral bleaching will will increase or decrease in the future

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I used to think that, due to serious water pollution, it would be nearly impossible to enjoy and observe the diverse range of marine animals, such as corals or jellyfish, in the sea bed of Hong Kong. Now, I think it is possible to observe sea creatures like clams or crabs on the sandy shore in Hong Kong as long as citizens increase awareness and efforts towards environmental conservation that focus on cleaning our waters and protecting marine habitats for animals to live healthily.

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Before the field trip, I thought sandy shore is a relatively lifeless environment and there would be only a few visible creatures. I also thought that it seems unlikely that Hong Kong’s environment could host coral colonies or sustain jellyfish populations.

After the field trip, I realised that sandy shores are actually dynamic and interconnected habitats. I also saw the way that the jellyfish pulse to move and knew more about the usage and structure of the tentacles of corals.

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I used to think that the chance of seeing coral clearly under the water is very low, as the water pollution problem in Hong Kong is very serious. I also used to think that all the corals are the same, with rock like structures and are in branches. Now I think that it is actually possible to encounter different kinds of corals like Brain Coral and Honeycomb Coral, which proofed the hidden complexity under the water world

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Connect: I learnt from the trip that the coral in the picture is a type of disc coral from the Lithophyllon sp., and that it was probably transplanted from elsewhere because the numbers that grew naturally there were dangerously low. It's one of the most beautiful corals I've seen during the trip, but, as the tour guide said, it's also one of the most endangered ones in Hoi Ha Wan, which is quite a shame.

Extend: I didn't realise you could transplant corals into oceans- it's such a cool concept that could save many corals in shore ecosystems from dying out.

Challenge: I still don't understand how they do it- transplanting seems dangerous for the corals. How do they make sure they don't die, or know where to put the new coral?

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I used to think that there weren’t many organisms on the sandy shores, and that any organisms on the sandy shores would be immediately dried up. Also I used to think that coral only existed in the deep waters. Now I think that corals can exist in both shallow and deep waters. And that there are many organisms in the sand, and that they are different than the organisms in the water.

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See : I saw many coral of different species, and fish that day, even jellyfish. There are many more marine organisms that I saw that day, like oysters, periwinkle etc.

Think : I learnt that day that coral grows less than a few centimetres per year, seeing these corals made me realise just how rare they are and how we should make greater efforts to protect them.

Wonder : Why is the so little protected waters in Hong Kong? Especially when compared to protected land in Hong Kong, protected lands take up about 40% while protected waters is less than 3%.

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See: the water has a green-ish hue, which is because of tiny algae

Think: My idea of algae had always been larger, more tangible organisms, such as kelp, it never occured to me that they could be small enough that they cannot be observed with the naked eye

Wonder: I once saw "blue tears" algae that were bioluminescent at Shek O, I also heard that they mean the environment is being damaged. Is there anyway to remove the pollution that causes such algal blooms in the ocean?