Passage: "Coral reefs cover a tiny fraction of the ocean floor, yet they support about a quarter of all marine species. In the Philippines, reefs provide food and income to millions of people in coastal towns. Rising sea temperatures cause corals to lose the algae that give them colour and food, a process called bleaching. Corals can recover if temperatures return to normal quickly, but repeated bleaching can kill entire reefs." It can be inferred from the passage that the loss of reefs in the Philippines would most directly affect:
Correct answer: A. Coastal communities that depend on reefs for food and income
The passage says reefs "provide food and income to millions of people in coastal towns", so their loss would hit those communities hardest. This is a reasonable inference from the stated facts.
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