Fringe Reef

Barrier Reef

Atolls

1. How is each reef structure formed?
Most modern reefs have formed on hard surfaces in the ocean and some coral reefs form in the deep ocean and are called atolls.

2. Where is each reef structure found?
Fringing reefs are formed from decaying sea life and polyps that live near the shore. Take corals as an example, small corals will get stuck in rocks near the shore and begin to multiply and grow. Years and years will pass when you will see the those small corals becomes a colony or better known as a reef.
Barrier reefs are separated from the shore by a wide, deep lagoon or surround a lagoon that has a central island.
Atoll is a reef surrounding a lagoon that has no central island, usually with a lagoon in the center with passages through the reef to the sea. The waves of the lagoon cover a submerged island. The reef grows in layers over the island.

3. What is the trophic structure of a reef?
Fringing reefs lie near the shores.
Barrier reefs are farther than fringing reefs but still remain near the shore.
Atolls lay in the volcano.

4. How does the location and type of reef influence the trophic structure?
They give an Ideal place to live. Location and type of reefs help maintain a food cycle for an organism. All organisms in an ecosystem can be placed in trophic levels depending what energy source they rely upon and how they provide energy for other organisms in the food chain. The food chain consists of trophic levels, or the levels within the food chain in which energy is transformed.

5. Give examples of the types of corals found on reefs.
Round and big corals like brain corals. Star shaped corals. Branched out corals. Plant like corals like the sea whip. And weird corals like the lettuce corals.

6. Give examples of competition, predation, and grazing
Predation is like when a predator like a sea anemone stings a prey such as a fish and eats the up. MWAHAHAHAHAHA. Grazing is like when a seahorse feeds and takes care of it's younglings. And competition happens when a seashell crab tries to find a shell for home before the other crab does.



CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS: CHAPTER 14

1. What factors might account for the fact that the vast majority of atolls occur in the Indian and Pacific oceans and that atolls are rare in the Atlantic?
The trade winds affect the atolls a lot because most atolls lie in the trade wind belt. The growth of these atolls happen because of the continuous shifting and molding of the winds.

2. Scientists predict that the ocean will get warmer and the sea level will rise as a result of an intensified greenhouse effect. How might this affect coral reefs?
Corals are like just any other creatures, if nature goes against them, they will die. Too much of everything is a really bad thing.

3. There are only a few reefs off the northeast coast of Brazil, even though it lies in the tropics. How would you explain this?
South American waters especially in Brazil are too salty. As we know, salt blocks the sunlight making it hard for the marine life to grow.