These three countries are part of the "Coral Triangle," a marine region considered the global center of marine biodiversity. Australia hosts the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system. Indonesia and the Philippines have extensive reef systems within the Coral Triangle, which collectively hold the highest diversity of corals and reef fish globally. Together, these three nations account for a very significant proportion of the world's coral reefs. 3. Coral reefs host far more number of animal phyla than those hosted by tropical rainforests This statement is correct. While tropical rainforests are incredibly rich in species (especially insects and plants), marine ecosystems, in general, host a greater diversity of animal phyla compared to terrestrial ecosystems. Coral reefs, being highly complex and productive marine environments, are known to support a vast array of marine life representing a wide range of animal phyla, including sponges, cnidarians (corals, jellyfish), mollusks, arthropods, annelids, echinoderms, chordates (fish, turtles, etc.), and many others. The number of phyla found in marine environments is substantially higher than on land, and coral reefs are hotspots for this phylogenetic diversity. 188. Consider the following statements: Assertion (A) : Coral reefs are called the ‘rain forests of the oceans’. Reason (R) : They are highly rich in biodiversity. Select the correct answer from the code given below Coral reefs are often referred to as the "rainforests of the oceans" due to their extremely high biodiversity. Despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor, they are home to an estimated 25% of all marine species.
Most of the world's coral reefs are in tropical waters This statement is correct. Corals require specific environmental conditions for growth, including warm water temperatures (typically between 20-30°C), shallow depths allowing sunlight penetration (for symbiotic algae), clear water, and normal marine salinity. These conditions are predominantly found in tropical and sub-tropical regions. 2. More than one-third of the world's coral reefs are located in the territories of Australia, Indonesia and Philippines This statement is correct.
Asked in UPPSC Upper Mains 2006 · Topic: Biodiversity (Marine Biodiversity (Coral Reefs, Mangroves, Estuaries))
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Answer: A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
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