Solutions For 9780131905429 Chapter 4 Problem 25A

Corals are found both in temperate and tropical waters, shallow water reefs are formed only in a zone extending at most from to of the equator.

Coral reefs are the most diverse and beautiful of all marine habitats. Large wave resistant structures have accumulated from the slow growth of corals. The development of these structures is aided by algae that are symbiotic with reef – building corals, known as zooxanthellae. Coralline algae, sponges, and other organisms, combined with a number of cementation processes also contribute to reef growth.

In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial cnidarians that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate. The accumulation of skeletal material, broken and piled up by wave action and bio-eroders, produces a massive calcareous formation that supports the living corals and a great variety of other animal and plant life.