Friday, September 19, 2008

Ecosystem of the Week - Coral Reef


Coral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms, found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water. High nutrient levels such as those found in runoff from agricultural areas can harm the reef by encouraging the growth of algae.[1] In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial cnidarians that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate. The accumulation of skeletal material, broken and piled up by wave action and bioeroders, produces a massive calcareous formation that supports the living corals and a great variety of other animal and plant life. Although corals are found both in temperate and tropical waters, shallow-water reefs are formed only in a zone extending at most from 30°N to 30°S of the equator. Tropical corals do not grow at depths of over 50 m (165 ft). Temperature has less of an effect on the distribution of tropical coral, but it is generally accepted that they do not exist in waters below 18 °C.[2]. However, deep water corals can exist at greater depths and colder temperatures. Although deep water corals also form reefs, very little is known about them. --Taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Answer to Last Week's Famous Scientist

James Watt (19 January 173625 August 1819[1]) was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both Britain and the world.

For more interesting information on James Watt go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Watt

100% of you answered correctly!! Way to go!!

Famous Scientists

Below are 5 clues to who I am. Read through them and then vote below. Next week, I will give you the answer. Good luck!!

Clue #1: Nationality - English
Clue #2: Lived: 1791 - 1867
Clue #3: I was a bookbinder apprentice and gained much knowledge from reading the books.
Clue #4: I was the first to describe the element chlorine and the compound benzene.
Clue #5: Below is a picture of me.

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

I am the Famous Scientist