Anthropogenic Change

Question 1

What are the anthropogenic factors affecting coral distribution?

Answer 1

-Coral Mining
-Pollution
-fishing practises
-dredging
-Climate change
-Ocean Acidifiction
-Shipping

Question 2

Describe the Specific Pressures affecting coral reefs

Answer 2

-Surface Run-off: Sediment affects turbidity and causes smothering, increased nutrients (COTS, disease, etc)
-Salinity fluctuations: coral bleaching
-Climate change: increases temps which causes bleaching
-COTS: Eat corals
-Overfishing: functional contributions of fish are lost
-Oil spills: reduces coral growth, reproduction, etc.
-Improper ballast: Introduced species overtake native

Question 3

What was significant about corals during holocene?

Answer 3

Coral cores dating back 6000 years had no evidence of coral bleaching or ocean acidification.

Question 4

How does Shelford’s Law of Tolerance apply to coral bleaching?

Answer 4

Shelford’s Law of Tolerance indicates that corals will bleach when put under stress and there is are different zones of tolerance to changing factors. Once corals are outside these tolerance zones they will bleach.

Question 5

Explain how an organism may be affected by a bleaching event?

Answer 5

Fish that are dependent on corals for shelter and food sources will decline in population sizes.

Question 6

Describe the conditions necessary for recovery from bleaching events.

Answer 6

Reefs require the zooxanthallae to return which needs reasonable temp water, it needs coral survivors, herbivores, time and structural complexity.