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Biology Semester 2 > Reef Ecosystem > Flashcards

Reef Ecosystem Flashcards

1
Q

what phylum are corals in?

A

Phylum Cnidaria

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2
Q

What is in class Scyphozoa?

A

jellyfish and related species

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3
Q

What is in class Hydrozoa?

A

Includes the Hydrozoans, e.g., fire coral. Hydrozoans are not true corals but superficially look like them.

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4
Q

What organisms are in class Anthozoa?

A

Anemones, hard and soft corals

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5
Q

What is a subclass of Anthozoa whose key characteristics are tentacles in multiples of six?

A

Zoantharia (or Hexacorallia)

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6
Q

what class, subclass and order are anemones in?

A

Class Anthozoa, Zoantharia (or Hexacorallia), Order Actiniaria

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7
Q

what class, subclass and order are hard corals in?

A

Class Anthozoa, subclass Zoantharia (or Hexacorallia), order Scleractinia

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8
Q

What is a subclass of Anthozoa whose key characteristics are 8 tentacles, most with pinnules? What order is in this?

A

Alcyonaria (or Octocorallia), order alcyonacea = soft corals

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9
Q

what are the colony growth forms of hard corals?

A 
Branching
Foliaceons
Massive
Columnar
Free - living
Encrusting
Laminar
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10
Q

what are examples of branching corals?

A

Staghorn and Elkhorn coral

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11
Q

what are examples of Foliaceons?

A

Cabbage and lettuce coral

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12
Q

what are examples of massive corals?

A

Brain coral

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13
Q

what are examples of columnar coral?

A

digitate coral, pillar coral

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14
Q

what are examples of free-living coral?

A

tongue coral + artichoke coral

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15
Q

what are examples of encrusting?

A

encrusting coral

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16
Q

what are examples of Laminar coral?

A

Table or plate coral

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17
Q

what does the growth rates of corals depend on?

A

depends upon environmental conditions:

water temperature,salinity, pH, light intensity, water clarity, pollution etc.

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18
Q

what types of corals are slow growing?

A

Massive coral, only grow 0.5 to 1cm per year.

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19
Q

what types of corals are fast growing?

A

branching corals, grow from 10 - 20cm per year

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20
Q

how many species of hard corals are there on the GBR?

A

400 species

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21
Q

what are some key features of hard corals?

A

they produce ‘skeletons’ composed of calcium carbonate.
they are reef builders
the majority of species contain symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae
up to 98% of hard coral nutrition is via the photosynthesis activity of the zooxanthellae.
6 tentacles or multiples of six.
found in shallow water

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22
Q

what is another word for reef builder?

A

hermatypic

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23
Q

How many species of soft coral are there on the GBR?

A

100 species.

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24
Q

what are the key features of soft corals?

A

have eight tentacles
most have side branchlets called pinnules on each tentacle.
typically have no ‘skeleton’ do contain minute, spiny or sand-like skeletal elements called sclerites
about half of all soft coral species contain zooxanthellae
more actively feed through tentacles than hard corals
are able to move via extending their base

25
Q

what are some examples of soft corals?

A

sea pens, sea fans, sea whips and fleshy soft corals.

26
Q

what are sclerites?

A

minute, spiny or sand-like skeletal elements typically contained in soft coral.

27
Q

what are the optimum conditions for coral growth?

A

temperature range between 18-30 degrees Celsius.
pH range from 8-8.5 (globally, oceans have a pH of 8.3 +/- 0.3)
depth typically down to 30-40 metres, but some species can be found as deep as 500 metres
clear water

28
Q

what are zooxanthellae?

A

zooxanthellae are uni-cellular algae that form a mutualistic relationship with many coral species, as a result, corals typically grow in shallow clear water.

29
Q

where does most of the usable light energy penetrate to?

A

only 30-40 metres down

30
Q

what does diploblastic mean?

A

no mesoderm, so no organ systems

31
Q

how do Cnidaria carry out all 7 life processes without organs?

A

life processes are carried out at the cellular level through cell specialisation.

32
Q

what doe symbiosis mean?

A

the intimate relationship between two organisms.

33
Q

what is predation?

A

one organism actively hunts or seeks another (e.g., the prey) postive/negative relationship (positive for predator, negative for prey)

34
Q

what is commensalism?

A

one organism benefits while the other is generally unaffected by the relationship. +/0 (shark and remora)

35
Q

what is mutualism?

A

both organisms benefit form the relationship = +/+

36
Q

what is parasitism?

A

one organism benefits at the cost of the other = +/-

37
Q

how do corals benefit from their relationship with zooxanthellae?

A

1) coral derive carbohydrates (e.g., Glucose) directly from the photosynthesis activity of the zooxanthellae. glucose is a principle source of energy to coral, hence coral growth is accelerated. it is estimated that 94-98% of all organic nutrient requirements are provided by zooxanthellae.
2) zooxanthellae remove coral waste (as it is actually used by the zooxanthellae)

38
Q

what is a nematocyst?

A

the stinging cells of coral

39
Q

how does zooxanthellae benefit from their relationship with the coral?

A

1) living within the tissues of coral means that zooxanthellae have a stable environment in which to live. hence they are not subject to currents that might take them into the ocean depths where they would die due to a lack of sunlight.
2) as coral tissue (ectodermis) is actually translucent (clear), it readily allows sunlight through to the zooxanthellae for photosynthesis.
3) the abundant wastes produced by the corals ensures high rates of photosynthesis in zooxanthellae.

40
Q

how is zooxanthellae responsible for the different colours of coral?

A

there are many different species of zooxanthellae, and they have different colours, hence the coral they inhabit will be different colours.

41
Q

what is a popular method of reproduction in corals?

A

spawning, i.e., sperm and eggs are released into the water. For many species on the GBR, this occurs over 3 to 5 days from november to december during a full moon phase. spawning may be synchronised between 100+ species covering distances up to 1200km.

42
Q

what are some facts about coral reproduction?

A

some corals fertilise externally - others internally. some species contain both male and female sex cells within a colony, while other species only contain one or the other.

43
Q

what is a browser?

A

a selective herbivore

44
Q

what are the trophic levels on the reefs?

A 
producers
herbivores
carnivores
corallivores
scavengers
45
Q

what are some examples of herbivores?

A

tangs (surgeonfish), rabbit fish, parrot fish, sea urchins, sea slugs

46
Q

what are some examples of producers?

A

Algae, phytoplankton, sea grass

47
Q

what are some examples of carnivores?

A

sharks, eels, lionfish, sea anenome

48
Q

what are some examples of corallivores?

A

butterfly fish, parrot fish (corallivores for the polyps, herbivores for the algae), crown of thorns starfish.

49
Q

what are some examples of scavengers?

A

crabs, lobsters, prawns/shrimp

50
Q

why is protein so vital?

A

> protein is a vital biomolecule used by organisms in a variety of ways.
to form cells and tissues in all living things.
to form muscle tissue in animals.
to produce pigments in plants, algae and animals.
to form antibodies in animals.
to produce enzymes in all living things.

51
Q

why is the nitrogen cycle important, and what carries it out?

A

nitrogen fixing and nitrifying bacteria carry out the processes of nitrogen fixation and nitrification respectively, because energy can be derived from these reactions to produce glucose. Glucose is then used to produce ATP.

52
Q

what is the formula for the production of nitrate?

A

N2 —(nitrogen fixing bacteria-nitrogen fixing) –> NO2- ( nitrifying bacteria-nitrification)—–> NO3- (uptake)

53
Q

what is the formula for production of protein?

A

NO3- —> NH4+ —–> amino acids —–> protein

54
Q

What is the diagram of the nitrogen cycle?

A

see diagram on card.

55
Q

what is the reaction for photosynthesis in the producers?

A

CO2 (atmospheric) + H2O –> C6H12O6 + O2

56
Q

what is the reaction for respiration? And where does it occur?

A

C6H12O6 + O2 –> CO2 +H2O

In producers and consumers

57
Q

what is the carbonic acid reaction?

A

CO2 + H2O H+ + HCO3-

58
Q

what is the reaction for calcification and where does it occur?

A

HCO3- +Ca2+ —> CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O

live coral

59
Q

what is the reaction for dissolution and where does it occur?

A

CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O —> HCO3- +Ca2+

dead coral

Biology Semester 2 (4 decks)

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