Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

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Overview: Great Barrier Reef, p. 85

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the longest and largest area of corral reef in the world. It isn't a single linear wall of corral, however, but rather a chain of individual reefs and islands. If you zoom out from the view shown by our place marker, you'll see how many patches of reef make up this complex.

Australia has set aside about one-third of the reef complex as a marine protected area in which all extractive activities are banned. Overfishing and other destructive practices have been halted, but other problems still threaten the reef. Warm water has been causing bleaching. (For reasons we don't fully understand, when they're stressed by warm water or other factors, the corals expel their algae symbionts. If the bleaching is too severe, the corals die.) In recent years, bleaching incidents have become increasingly widespread and severe. In 2002 between 65 to 90 percent of the corals within the 284,000 km2 of the Great Barrier Reef showed signs of bleaching. Global warming can only make this situation worse. Another serious concern is that the increased CO2 concentrations are making ocean water more acidic, as CO2 combines with the water to produce the mildly acidic carbonic acid. Increasing acidity would interfere with the corals ability to create the calcium carbonate exoskeletons that create the reef. Some marine biologists warn that if current trends continue, all the coral could be dead within the next 50 years.

1			The Great Barrier Reef can be most simply described as Responses:
			A)	a single linear structure.
			B)	similar to a giant sponge, but harder.
			C)	a chain of structures.
			D)	wide and flat, like a water lily floating on the water.
			E)	a human construction to protect the mainland.
2			The cooperative relationship depends on clear, warm water that allows sunlight to reach the photosynthesizing algae. Zoom out until you can see Cairns, and then zoom in to the bay. What land uses contribute to murky water in the bay?
			A)	Open space
			B)	Agriculture
			C)	Urban land use
			D)	Both agriculture and urban land use
			E)	Land uses do not affect water clarity
3			Many of the world's coral reefs are affected by sediment runoff like this. If you lived in Cairns, what steps might you take to reduce sediment runoff that could threaten the coral reefs?
			A)	Maintain land cover to reduce erosion
			B)	Avoid soil disturbance
			C)	Create barriers to slow runoff and trap sediment
			D)	All three options listed are steps that can reduce sediment runoff
			E)	There is no effective way to successfully reduce sediment runoff
4			What term do biologists use to describe the cooperative relationship between coral and algae?
			A)	Mutualism
			B)	Commensalism
			C)	Antagonism
			D)	Indifferentism
			E)	Individualism
5			What is the term for the relationship where one species benefits from the other without damaging or benefiting it?
			A)	Mutualism
			B)	Commensalism
			C)	Antagonism
			D)	Indifferentism
			E)	Individualism