1.  Apart from coral, what organism dominates the coral reef environment?

coraline algae

2.  How are algae and coral in a symbiotic relationship?

plant cells get protection by being in the coral, and the algae provide more nutrients than they can use which is available to coral.

3.  How are anenome and anenome fish in a symbiotic relationship?

Anenome provides protection and the anenome

4.  What type of symbiosis do the examples above represent?

mutualism

5.  What type of symbiosis has no impact, positive or negative, on either organism?

commensalism

6.  What type of symbiosis benefits one organism, but may not affect the other?

parasitism

7.  Why doesn't parasitism usually kill its host?

Because it would kill the parasite as well.

8.  How does bleaching weaken or kill coral?

Because of environmental conditions, the coral expels coraline algae, and then weakens because the symbiotic relationship no longer exists.

9.  How does fertilizer runoff inhibit coral reef development?

Fertilizer enhances the growth of seaweed in a reef environment, which may then grown and block out sunlight for the coraline algae.

10.  What is an estuary?

A coastal inlet where fresh and salt water mix.

11.  What are examples of animals in estuaries?

crustaceans (shrimp, crabs), molluscs, annelids (worms), fish

12.  How does fertilizer runoff affect estuaries?

They can eutrophy the water which can lead to anoxia and fish kills.

13.  What is the intertidal zone?

The coastal surface exposed between high and low tide.

14.  Why are intertidal zones highly diverse?

A lot of area in which to live, nutrient runoff from land, and mixing by waves to spread out nutrients.

15.  What are challenges to organisms in an intertidal zone?

Seasonal variations in temperature, extremes of wetting and drying, and wave activity.

16.  What forms of biological competition exist?

exploitative -- one species uses up a resource and makes it unavailable to other organisms, and interference -- involves direct contact with other organisms

17.  What temperatures are reached by hydrothermal vents?
 
up to 400 degrees C

18.  How long do vent communities typically exist?

2-5 years

19.  What are common characteristics of biological communities?

symbiosis, competition, and dynamism (they are always changing)