Consider the following statements:
1. Most of the world’s coral reefs are in tropical waters.
2. More than one-third of the world’s coral reefs are located in the territories of Australia, Indonesia and Philippines.
3. Coral reefs host far more number of animal phyla than those hosted by tropical rainforests.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
This questions was previously asked in
UPSC CSP Previous Year Paper (2018)
1 and 2 only
Incorrect Answer1 and 3 only
Incorrect Answer1, 2 and 3
Correct AnswerExplanation:
Coral reefs are the most diverse of all marine ecosystems. Coral reefs are predominantly present in tropical shallow waters less than 50 meters deep. Global distribution of corals- Australia-17% Indonesia-16% Philippines-9% So, Australia, Indonesia and Philippines together host more than one-third of world’s corals. So, statement 1 and 2 are correct.
These tropical marine communities occupy less than 1% of the ocean floor, but are inhabited by at least 25% of all marine species. Scientists estimate that more than 25,000 described species from thirty-two of the world’s thirty-three animal phyla live in reef habitats – four times the number of animal phyla found in tropical rain forests. Due to this reason they are often called the rainforests of the sea. So, Statement 3 is correct.
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By: Abhipedia