Term
| phylum and class of corals? |
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Definition
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa |
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Term
| is there a medusa stage in corals? |
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Definition
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Term
| are corals carnivores or herbivores? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| have a calcium carbonate (caco2) skeleton |
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Term
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Definition
- thin layer on top of CACO3 skeleton
- asexual division to form colonies
- polyps are tiny, colonies are large
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Term
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Definition
| layers of dead CACO3 skeletons from thousands of years |
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Term
| examples of different colony shapes (there are 9) |
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Definition
- mounds
- shelf-like
- branching
- plate-like
- columnar
- leaf-like
- encrusting
- massive
- free-living
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Term
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Definition
| photosynthetic symbionts that allow reefs to exist in oligotrophic water (little food). They are restricted to shallow depths because they need sunlight in order to photosynthesize. |
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Term
| temperature conditions for corals |
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Definition
- Reproduce if temperature is less than 20*C
- Tolerate temperature to 30*C, otherwise coral-zx symbiosis is disrupted
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| light conditions for corals |
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Definition
| clearer water preferred because of high transparency required for photosynthesis. mostly shallow depths less than 50m. sometimes deeper with higher transparency. |
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Term
| surface conditions for corals |
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Definition
| coral larva look for hard surface. once found, skeleton becomes own hard surface and colony grows. |
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Term
| wave conditions for corals |
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Definition
| high wave energy = more dissolved O2, which prevents sedimentation and fouling. |
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Term
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Definition
- Youngest
- Connected to land, susceptible to terrestrial influences
- Rocky shores
- Vulnerable to sedimentation and pollution
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Term
|
Definition
- Seperated from land by lagoon
- Forms as island sinks
- More complex in structure and community
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Term
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Definition
- Oldest
- Island sinks completely
- Ring-shaped reef remains
- Surrounds sunken island
- Far from land (no sediment or runoff, very diverse)
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Term
| filter feeders in coral reefs |
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Definition
- Grow in interstices of coral branches
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Term
| calcareous algae's role in coral reefs |
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Definition
| "cement" that holds reef structures together. habitat for animals. |
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Term
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Definition
| microscopic polyps. potent cnidocydes. not an anthozoa, have a medusa stage. |
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Term
| what do coral and algae compete for? |
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Definition
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Term
| what do corals compete for? |
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Definition
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Term
| what does overgrowth of corals cause? |
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Definition
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Term
| how do corals fight with one another? |
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Definition
| extrude guts, digest neighbors |
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Term
| what do reef fishes compete over? |
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Definition
| feeding territories, nesting sites |
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Term
| what animal excretes the rubble that creates white sand on tropical beaches? |
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Definition
| parrotfish, after they digest tissue. |
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Term
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Definition
| when hard substrates are eroded by marine animals. example: parrotfish |
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Term
| how do hervivores allow corals to grow? |
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Definition
| by controlling algal populations, since algae compete with corals for sunlight. |
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Term
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Definition
| stressed relationship between coral and zx. correlated with increase in temperature. |
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Term
| can corals survive without zooxanthellae? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| problem with coastal development. smothers coral and clouds water, which makes photosynthesis difficult. |
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Term
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Definition
| increased nutrients in coastal waters from sewage or fertilizer leads to an increase in algae growth which clouds water and chokes coral. |
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