Exam 14: Benthic Communities

The symbiotic dinoflagellates that live in the tissues of coral polyps ____.

Hydrothermal vents support a community of organisms including pogonophorans, clams, crabs, and worms, just to name a few. But hydrothermal vents are found in the deep-sea far from the photic zone. If no light reaches hydrothermal vents, what is the basis of the primary productivity that supports the community?

Explain why salt marshes and estuaries are among the most productive of marine habitats.

What are some factors that make life difficult on the deep ocean floor?

An individual coral animal is called a ____.