What adaptations do coral reefs have?

What adaptations do coral reefs have?

Some corals have adaptations to survive coral bleaching. That is, they have their own natural protection. They produce a kind of sunblock, called a fluorescent pigment. These pigments form a shield around the zooxanthellae and at high temperatures they protect them from the harmful effects of sunlight and UV rays.

How does elkhorn coral adapt to its environment?

Due to their tree-like growth form, elkhorn corals provide complex habitat for fish and other coral reef organisms. When elkhorn corals are abundant, they provide shoreline protection from large waves and storms.

What four special conditions are required for coral reef development?

Together, let’s look at the delicate balance of conditions that coral reefs need to survive.

• Ideal Water Temperatures. Coral reefs need a precise water temperature to survive.
• Clean Water.
• Exposure to the Sun.
• A Healthy Balance of Salt Water.
• Food.
• Water Circulation.
• Positive Reef Initiative: Protecting the Coral Reefs.

Why do you think Staghorns are so vulnerable?

The greatest threat to staghorn coral is ocean warming, which causes the corals to release the algae that live in their tissue and provide them food, usually causing death.

What adaptations do reef fish have that cause them to be different from other salt water fish?

Coral reefs have many nooks and crannies of which some are tight spaces. These fish have a flatter body that allows them to maneuver better and seek shelter among the crevices in order to hide from a predator. The brightly colored patterns of reef fish are also an adaptation.

Is elkhorn coral hard or soft coral?

There are two main types of corals: hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals, like elkhorn coral and staghorn coral, grow in colonies and are often referred to as “reef-building corals.” Hard corals create skeletons out of calcium carbonate, a hard substance that eventually becomes rock.

What is harming elkhorn coral in the Florida Keys?

“Most elkhorn coral that died in the Keys had signs of a disease known as white pox before its demise,” says Porter. Hot on the trail of where the white pox was coming from, Porter and other scientists ultimately identified human sewage outflows as the source of a pathogen that causes the disease.

What methods does coral use to make new colonies and build reefs?

ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION Budding is when a coral polyp reaches a certain size and divides, producing a genetically identical new polyp. Corals do this throughout their lifetime. Sometimes a part of a colony breaks off and forms a new colony.

What makes coral reefs unique?

Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth, rivaled only by tropical rain forests. They are made up not only of hard and soft corals, but also sponges, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and much more.

What is the lifespan of staghorn coral?

Acropora Coral Life Cycles: The Staghorn Coral A. cervicornis can grow up to 6 feet (2 m) in ideal conditions. It reaches sexual maturity within 3 to 5 years, with a branch diameter of 1.5-2.75″ (4-7 cm). They can live 4 to 7 years.

What animals eat staghorn coral?

Staghorn corals are also vulnerable to certain predators, like the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), which have proliferated since the 1970s. In large numbers, crown-of-thorns starfish can mow down wide swaths of coral reef.

Why is Acropora palmata important to the reef?

This species was once so abundant that entire regions of the reef were called the ‘Palmata Zone’ and it was important to know where the palmata zones were, because their sturdy branches easily sank ships. Unfortunately, the risk of shipgrounding on big ‘trees’ of Acropora palmata is a long forgotten memory.

What does Acropora palmatahas look like?

Acropora palmatahas a long, branching shape which resembles elk antlers, spanning up to 1.5m in diameter (Noyd et al., 2014). This species of coral has a three dimensional structure that is highly complex, with thick branches that are characteristic of the elkhorn coral (Rosenberg and Loya, 2004).

What causes Acropora palmata to reproduce?

Acropora palmata is initiated by physical disturbances such as hurricanes, specifically in the north-western Caribbean. Sexual reproduction in elkhorn corals involves the release of millions of gametes from individual colonies that are hermaphrodites (both male and female) during broadcast spawning (NOAA Fisheries, 2014).

What are the characteristics of Acropora lupins?

Characters: This species forms the largest colonies of all Acropora (commonly 4 metres across, 2 metres high, with bases 0.4 metres thick) with parallel, obliquely inclined, very thick tapered branches. Branches are horizontally flattened towards their extremities.