Oceanography Terms 3 Set 11

Corals share a mutualistic relationship (mutually beneficial) with:

photosynthetic zooxanthellae

_____________ are unicellular algae that live within the tissue of the coral polyp.

– They can comprise up to ___ of the polyp’s body weight

Zooxanthellae, 75%

Zooxanthellae is a colloquial term for single-celled photosynthetic organisms that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates including:

corals, jellyfish, demosponges, and nudibranchs

Coral polyps provide _____ and ___ to the zooxanthellae, which in turn provide _____ and __ to the coral.

water, CO2, sugar, O2

___________ occurs when coral polyps expel their Zooxanthellae

Coral bleaching

Corals can be either ______ or ______.

solitary, colonial

Coral reefs flourish in water that is warmer than ____.

– They are found in tropical and subtropical latitudes

Coral reefs flourish in water that is warmer than 20°C. – They are found in tropical and subtropical latitudes

Corals cannot survive in ____ , ________ water or highly ______ water.

fresh, brackish, turbid

Corals do best in ________ water, where ____________ and _______ are not abundant

nutrient-poor, phytoplankton, seaweed