Answer to Question 1ANS:Answer
should include:
Environmental resistance is the effect of limiting factors on an environment. Limiting
factors in an environment can slow the rate of population in addition to regulating the
distribution of organisms.
A random distribution of a population indicates that there is no impact of one organism
on that of another. The conditions in the environment are the same throughout. This is a
very rare type of distribution.
Clumped patches of distribution are the most common form of distribution. There are
optimal conditions that occur throughout the environment. Patches can be a result of
nutrient concentration, initial population dispersal, and social interactions.
Uniform distribution occurs when the organisms in a community are equally spaced
from one another. This is the rarest form of distribution in communities.
Answer to Question 2ANS:Answer
should include:
Reference to the National Geographic segment on the Line Islands explains that coral
reefs are highly threatened by humans, overfishing and exploitation.
In addition, climate change stressors including ocean acidification and temperature
stress are leading to coral decline.
Low nutrients are better for corals because they keep algal growth at low levels. The
low nutrient levels are accommodated for by the great diversity of organisms living
within the reef system.
Symbiosis and in particular mutualism is an example of specialized dinoflagellates that
live within the coral animals tissue and provide the coral with a built-in source of food
and carbohydrates.