Coral Reefs Introduction

The 3 main areas world wide that coral reefs are found...

• Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, Carribean

• Red Sea, Pacific, Asia

• Indonesia, Pacific, Coral triangle

• Carribean, Indo-Pacific, Coral triangle

A higher diversity of corals are found in areas of lower latitudes

• True

• False

All coral reefs in Australia are found north of the Tropic of Capricorn

• True

• False

Endemism ...

• is exemplified by Australian salmon

• is exemplified by kangaroos

• is where a species evolves uniquely at a location and remains exclusive to that location;

• can occur as a result of habitat fragmentation or destruction and a subsequent extinction from all localities except one

Tropical species are not replaced with subtropical species as latitude increases, but rather there is a gradual thinning out of tropical species. This is..

• biodiversity

• symbiosis

• competition

• latitudinal attenuation

Tropical coral planulae/larvae can be found in subtropical areas, but not vice versa (known as the ratchet effect).

• True

• False

Corals can withstand temperatures as low as 14 degrees C, but coral reefs cannot be built at less than 18 degrees C. Choose the MOST correct answer.

• True, because it's too cold to make a Calcium carbonate structure

• False, some corals can build reefs at a lower temp

• True, because algae out-complete corals at lower temps

Coral species richness changes more rapidly with longitude (across the continental shelf) or with depth, than with latitude in the GBR.

• True

• False

Take your time and study the picture. SDI means Simpson's Index of Diversity. Community 1 has....... than Community 2

• Same species richness, higher SDI than Community 2

• Same species richness and SDI as Community 2

• Higher species richness, lower SDI than Community 2

• Same species richness, lower SDI than Community 2

A coral's limestone skeleton is also referred to as (choose all that apply)

• Calcium carbonate

• CaCO3

• aragonite

• limestone