Erie Green has always wondered about things that live in the ocean. When he was y , he loved to swim. He liked to watch all kinds of underwater animals and plants through his mask (潜水面罩). When he grew up, he wanted to l for new things in the ocean.
Today, Mr. Green is a marine ecologist (海洋生态学家). He studies how underwater animals and plants connect with each other and need each other to stay a .
Mr. Green studies coral reefs (珊瑚) in the Pacific Ocean. A coral reef is like a big underwater t . Thousands of animals and plants live there. They compete for food and space there. As a result, the beautiful coral reefs get i easily.
Mr. Green also studies how people's actions can change coral reefs. Sometimes people pollute the water or overfish, so the w that all the living things are joined together has been changed. If coral reefs get hurt, many animals have to find new homes. Some animals' n drop low, and some animals just disappear. Mr. Green wants to p this from happening.
Mr. Green believes that all living things in a coral reef should be k safe. "Underwater ecosystems are like airplanes," Mr. Green says. "They need all of their parts to work correctly." "To take better care of marine homes, we first must k them. Only through that, can we understand the great influence humans have on these places." Mr. Green says.
