Chapter 15. Chapter 15: Marine Ecosystems

Where are coral reefs found and what is the community makeup...?

Why You Should Care

Coral are a unique symbiotic relationship between an animal and a plant: The animal provides the hard calcium carbonate skeleton and the algae live within the coral polyp and provides some nutrition in exchange for shelter. Millions of coral polyps growing together create the large structures we call coral reefs.

Each region of the ocean contains coral reefs with a unique community of dozens of coral and other plant species and hundreds of different animal species. It is estimated that, worldwide, dozens of bird species, more than 4,000 fish species, and thousands of invertebrate species (like clams, sea urchins, etc.) live in coral reefs. Some of the species use the coral reef as shelter and live within or around the coral. Other species feed off the coral itself, and still others eat algae that would otherwise overrun the coral.

1.

How do coral polyps get their nutrition?

A.

Zooks photosynthesize.

B.

The polyps’ tentacles grab food.

C.

The skeletal base digests older coral.

D.

Both a and b are correct.

999

Try again.

Correct.

Incorrect.

2.

Which of the following is correct?

A.

Coral polyps dissolve previous polyps.

B.

Coral polyps have a commensalistic relationship with zooks.

C.

Zooks are photosynthetic algae.

D.

Zooks are found deep inside the polyp for protection.

999

Try again.

Correct.

Incorrect.

3.

Why is it so valuable to have zooks increasing the pH of the coral?

999

Try again.

Zooks increase the pH, and this allows the coral to have enough calcium carbonate available to lay down its skeleton. Without this, the coral would have a lower pH and would have a harder time creating its skeleton. Ocean acidification is overwhelming the pH change that zooks are providing.

Activity results are being submitted...