Dinoflagellates have endosymbiotic relationships with corals.Corals cannot produce photosynthetic pigments, but they receive photosynthetic products from dinoflagellates.Which of the following might explain why corals are damaged or destroyed by excessive turbidity of ocean waters?
A) Corals cannot see their prey in the turbid water.
B) Turbid waters block sunlight from reaching photosynthesizing dinoflagellates.
C) Dinoflagellates are unable to filter out nonorganic particulates during feeding.
D) Increased particulates prevent dinoflagellates from entering the coral.
E) The increasing temperatures cause dinoflagellates to expel their chloroplasts.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Turbid waters block sunlight from reaching photosynthesizing dinoflagellates, which reduces the amount of photosynthetic products that corals receive from their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates. This can lead to coral damage or destruction due to a lack of energy and nutrients from their dinoflagellate partners.

Dinoflagellates Have Endosymbiotic Relationships with Corals