View source for Questions:Coral Reefs Sample Cluster/1

'''Coral Reefs'''

Coral reefs are important marine ecosystems that support more species per unit area than any other marine environment. Reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide communities with food and have the potential for new medicines. Tourism, diving, and snorkeling on reefs add hundreds of millions of dollars to local businesses.

[[File:A_Stable_Coral_Reef_Ecosystem.png|center|400px|link=]]


The majority of coral reefs are under stress due to a number of factors. Since 1980, many major episodes of coral bleaching have occurred. When coral reefs are under stress, the coral appears white (bleached). Bleached coral might recover but if the stressing conditions continue, they can die.

One of the longest and most destructive events occurred from 2014 to 2017 when over 70 percent of the world’s coral reefs were damaged. Coral biologists claim that Florida reefs and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia have had 90 percent of their coral affected in recent decades.

The photographs below show the same coral reef before and after exposure to extremely warm ocean water temperatures.

[[File:Changes_in_Pickles_Coral_Reef_Florida.png|center|650px|link=]]


Which claim best describes the interactions in the coral reef ecosystem since the 1980s and the effect on the biodiversity in those regions?

(1) The coral reef ecosystem was stable, so the biodiversity was reduced since reefs can support thousands of species of fish.

(2) The reef ecosystem is not stable, so the biodiversity remained relatively constant without altering the variety of corals.

(3) The reef ecosystem was stable, so the biodiversity remained relatively constant and it would continue to attract divers and tourists.

(4) The coral reef ecosystem was not stable, so the biodiversity was reduced and it may have an impact on the number of tourists visiting the reef.