Briefly summarize this piece of text Biological Equilibrium ProcessesOne example of a biological equilibrium process in nature is the formation of a coral reef.Coral reefs, like the one shown in Figure 7.21, are diverse ecosystems that protect fish andprovide natural breakwaters to protect coastlines. Tiny organisms, called polyps, whichfeed on small particles floating in the water, form coral reefs. These polyps also absorbnutrients and sugars from tiny photosynthetic algae that live inside the coral. A coral colonymay consist of thousands of polyps that leave behind a hard, branching structure made ofcalcium carbonate when they die. The algae that live in the coral cement various corals andshells together with calcium compounds to create the coral reefs.Many factors affect the health of coral, but increasing amounts of carbon dioxide,CO₂(g), in the atmosphere present a long-term threat. The burning of fossil fuels releasesabout 25 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Increased levelsof atmospheric carbon dioxide enhance the greenhouse effect over time and, consequently,result in global warming. Higher global temperatures ultimately raise the temperature ofthe world's oceans. Even a small increase in seawater temperature causes coral to be stressedand to take on a bleached appearance.Chemical reactions in the seawater involve equilibrium processes. Carbon dioxide gasdissolves in water to form carbonic acid, H₂CO,(aq).a weak acid. This creates an equilibrium systemin seawater, involving three different reversiblereactions:CO,(g)+H_O(0)=H,CO,(aq)H_CO,aq) +H_O(0=H,O*aq) + HCO, (aq)HCO, (aq) +H_O(Đ) =H_O*(aq) +CO,? (@qThe equilibrium in seawater can be simplified toCO₂(g) + CO,¹- (aq) + H₂O() = 2HCO, (aq).This equilibrium is very important to the chemistryof the ocean and the health of coral reefs around theworld.Carbon dioxide is not very soluble in water.However, as the concentration of carbon dioxide inthe atmosphere increases, more carbon dioxide gasdissolves in ocean water. As more carbon dioxidegas dissolves in the oceans, Le Châtelier's principlepredicts a shift to the right, and the concentration ofcarbonate ion, CO,- (aq), decreases. The decreasein carbonate ion affects the amount of dissolvedcalcium carbonate that is available to coral polyps formaking shells:CaCO,(s) = Ca²+ (aq) + CO,²-(aq)With less calcium carbonate available, corals growmore slowly. The slow growth of the corals affectsthe entire ecosystem, because it limits the successof the other organisms that depend on the coralreef for food and shelter. Today, many groups areworking together to conserve and restore coral reefs,including the World Wildlife Fund and the CoralReef Alliance.Figure 7.21 Coralreefs are slow-growingecosystems that areaffected by changes totheir environment. Theseecosystems provide foodand shelter to manyorganisms, as well asabsorb about one thirdof the carbon dioxidegas released by fossil fuelcombustion.

Every reversible reaction has an equilibrium. Consider the reversible reaction given below. A ⇌ B…

Biological Equilibrium Processes One example of a biological equilibrium process in nature is the formation of a coral reef. Coral reefs, like the one shown in Figure 7.21, are diverse ecosystems that protect fish and provide natural breakwaters to protect coastlines. Tiny organisms, called polyps, which feed on small particles floating in the water, form coral reefs. These polyps also absorb nutrients and sugars from tiny photosynthetic algae that live inside the coral. A coral colony may consist of thousands of polyps that leave behind a hard, branching structure made of calcium carbonate when they die. The algae that live in the coral cement various corals and shells together with calcium compounds to create the coral reefs Many factors affect the health of coral, but increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, CO₂(g), in the atmosphere present a long-term threat. The burning of fossil fuels releases about 25 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide enhance the greenhouse effect over time and, consequently, result in global warming. Higher global temperatures ultimately raise the temperature of the world's oceans. Even a small increase in seawater temperature causes coral to be stressed and to take on a bleached appearance. Chemical reactions in the seawater involve equilibrium processes. Carbon dioxide gas dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, H,CO,(aq). a weak acid. This creates an equilibrium system in seawater, involving three different reversible reactions: CD,(g) +H,O( = H,CO,(44) H_CO_{aq) +H_O0 =H,O+@q} + HCO,(aq) HCO, (aq) + H_O(Đ) = H,O*(@q) + CO,?"(aq) The equilibrium in seawater can be simplified to CO₂(g) + CO, (aq) + H₂O() 2HCO, (aq). This equilibrium is very important to the chemistry of the ocean and the health of coral reefs around the world. Carbon dioxide is not very soluble in water. However, as the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, more carbon dioxide gas dissolves in ocean water. As more carbon dioxide gas dissolves in the oceans, Le Châtelier's principle predicts a shift to the right, and the concentration of carbonate ion, CO,- (aq), decreases. The decrease in carbonate ion affects the amount of dissolved calcium carbonate that is available to coral polyps for making shells: CaCO,(s) = Ca²+ (aq) + CO,¹- (aq) With less calcium carbonate available, corals grow more slowly. The slow growth of the corals affects the entire ecosystem, because it limits the success of the other organisms that depend on the coral reef for food and shelter. Today, many groups are working together to conserve and restore coral reefs, including the World Wildlife Fund and the Coral Reef Alliance. Figure 7.21 Coral reefs are slow-growing ecosystems that are affected by changes to their environment. These ecosystems provide food and shelter to many organisms, as well as absorb about one third of the carbon dioxide gas released by fossil fuel combustion