Ecology- Rainforest of the sea (organisms on the reef)

Question 1

phylum of stony corals

Answer 1

cnidaria

Question 2

order of stony corals

Answer 2

scleractinia

Question 3

how many tentacles do stony corals have?

Answer 3

6 tentacles (or multiples of 6)

Question 4

are stony corals reef builders?

Answer 4

yes, the most important

Question 5

what are stony corals made of?

Answer 5

CaCO3 (calcium carbonate, limestone, corallite)

Question 6

what are the physical traits of a polyp

Answer 6

1. mouth/anus

2. 6 tentacles

Question 7

corallite

Answer 7

the cup-like calcareous skeleton of a single coral polyp (a fossilised coral)

Question 8

coenosarc

Answer 8

In corals, the coenosarc is the living tissue overlying the stony skeletal material of the coral. It secretes the coenosteum, the layer of skeletal material lying between the corallites. The coensarc is composed of mesogloea between two thin layers of epidermis and is continuous with the body wall of the polyps

Question 9

examples of stony corals

Answer 9

1. montastrea
2. porites
3. acropora

Question 10

phylum of soft corals

Answer 10

cnidaria

Question 11

how many tentacles do soft corals have?

Answer 11

8 (or multiples of 8)

Question 12

what are soft corals made of

Answer 12

calcite in organic matrix

Question 13

are soft corals reef builders?

Answer 13

no, they are not important reef builders

Question 14

phylum of sponges

Answer 14

porifera

Question 15

shape of sponges

Answer 15

many different shapes and sizes

Question 16

how do sponges feed?

Answer 16

they are filter feeders which make small organic material available for higher TL’s

Question 17

Sponge loop hypothesis

Answer 17

proposes that sponges on coral reefs absorb the large quantities of dissolved organic carbon (molecules such as carbohydrates) that are released by seaweeds and corals and return it to the reef as particles in the form of living and dead cells, or other cellular debris.

Question 18

phylum of kalkalgen

Answer 18

rhodophyta (red algae)

Question 19

what type of algae is kalkalgen?

Answer 19

encrusting

Question 20

what does kalkalgen produce and what does it mean?

Answer 20

they produce calcite (limestone) and are therefore, reef builders…produce limestone and “glue” together

Question 21

what do kalkalgen do?

Answer 21

they promote the establishment of corals

Question 22

phyla of macroalgae

Answer 22

chlorophyta (green), phaeophyta (brown), rhodophyta (red)

Question 23

why are macroalgae important for corals?

Answer 23

important food for grazers and are primary producers

Question 24

macroalgae competition with corals:

Answer 24

1. eutrophication

2. pressure from grazers

Question 25

threats to coral reefs

Answer 25

1. fishing sector
2. coastal development
3. recreation
4. pollution
5. eutrophication
6. sickness
7. climate change (acidification and higher salinity)

Question 26

dangers of coral reefs

Answer 26

1. white band disease
2. diadema deaths
3. hurricanes
4. bleaching events
5. lionfish

Question 27

resilience (veerkracht) of coral reefs

Answer 27

healthy corals reefs can easily recover from many threats and have a large resilience. The sum of the threats leads to the decrease of this resilience. This can lead to the worst case scenario: phase shifts

Question 28

coral-algal phase shift

Answer 28

refers to the phenomenon of coral reefs shifting to unusually low levels of coral cover, associated with persistent states of high cover of fleshy macroalgae (seaweed).

Question 29

local management of coral reefs (passive)

Answer 29

1. waste water treatment
2. MPA’s/ fishing management
3. ban on ankers

Question 30

local management of coral reefs (active)

Answer 30

1. artificial reefs

2. coral gardening

Question 31

AROSSTA

Answer 31

Artificial Reefs on Saba and Statia

Question 32

Diadema Project: Healthy State

Answer 32

carribean coral reef with black spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) as keystone species. Corals thrive because diadema keep the macroalgae in check

Question 33

Diadema Project: Current State

Answer 33

after a massive die-off of Diadema in 1982, Caribbean reefs became overgrown with macroalgae. At some reefs Diadema populations slowly recovered, at other reefs, not at all.