To review:
The most and the least important genera of coral that contribute to the reef-building, and the reason behind their importance and unimportance, based on the data provided in Table 1.
Given:
Different genera of corals contribute different amounts of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to the reefs. The rates of calcium deposition by different coral genera are represented in Table 1.
Table 1: Different genera of corals
Coral genus | Average reef rugosity | Approximate mean rate of calcification (Kg CaCO3/m2/yr) |
Orbicella | 1.87 | 13.80 |
Acropora | 3.33 | 22.30 |
Porites | 1.49 | 6.12 |
Agaricia | 1.52 | 2.43 |
Introduction:
The corals are the foundation and the ecosystem engineering species. They are capable of building reefs, which act as the shelter for themselves as well for several other species. The reefs are formed by deposition of the calcium carbonate shells on the death of a coral. The rate of deposition of calcium carbonate depends upon the type of species.
More amount of calcium carbonate is deposited by the slow-growing corals. The corals, especially, slow-growing corals are very sensitive to the pollution. The loss of the corals results in the loss of a massive habitat.
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Life: The Science of Biology
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