Humans
Coral reefs provide protection for ______
What are coastal communities / shorelines?
Coral need to live in _____ water temperature to thrive
What is warm?
this type of animal has tentacles with cnidocytes and a hard coral skeleton
What is a coral polyp ?
To what does coral larvae attach in the first stage?
What is an oceanic volcano?
the ideal temperature that reefs thrive in
What is 60-90*F ?
Coral reefs are beneficial to humans as they can provide medicine and an abundance of _____
What is food?
Coral live in shallow waters because the phytoplankton need this for photosynthesis
What is sunlight?
This type of coral builds coral reefs and has zooxanthelle
What are hard corals?
this type of reef is circular in shape with a lagoon in the center
What is an atoll?
the primary human-driven factor accelerating reef erosion
What is climate change / global warming?
Artificial reefs can release _____ into the environment if made with the wrong materials
What are toxins?
Coral need to attach to a ____ substrate in order to survive
What is hard-rocky?
Coral reefs are some of the most populated areas in the sea with over ____% of marine life living there
What is 25%?
the reason corals continue to grow when a volcano sinks
What is growing upward to reach the light?
this industry heavily relies on healthy coral reefs for its catches
What is the fishing industry?
These man-made structures provide habitat for marine life, promote biodiversity, and support fisheries.
What are artificial reefs?
This symbiotic relationship between zooxanthellae and coral is critical
What is mutualism?
These symbiotic algae, residing within coral tissues, are vital for the coral's nutrition and color.
What are zooxanthellae?
the key characteristic of a barrier reef
What is a lagoon between the reef and shore?
reefs have high biodiversity + specific amount of resources with high competition. This allows for ____ niches
What are specialized niches?
one economic benefit of coral reefs is their role in supporting this industry, including snorkeling and diving.
What is tourism?
When zooxanthellae leave coral for long periods of time this causes the coral to die
What is coral bleaching?
The hard, external skeleton of stony corals is primarily composed of this substance
What is calcium carbonate?
What is a fringing reef?
small individual reefs within the lagoon which are important as habitats for juvenile fishes
What are patch reefs?