Coral - Wikipedia
WEBCorals are colonial marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.
Scientists are creating stronger coral reefs in record time – by ...
WEBApr 20, 2023 · A new project in the Caribbean is setting out to save coral reefs – and the world. The Ocean-Shot Project, spearheaded by climate scientist Dr. Deborah Brosnan, launched in 2021 to develop a ...
Coral Reefs and Corals - Smithsonian Ocean
WEBThe family tree of the animals we call corals is complicated, and some groups are more closely related to each other than are others. All but the fire corals (named for their strong sting) are anthozoans, which are divided into two main groups.
Scleractinia - Wikipedia
WEBScleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a mouth is fringed with tentacles. Although some species are solitary, most are colonial.
Marine Scientists Hunt for World's Strongest Corals
WEBMar 20, 2012 · Marine biologists are looking for heat-resistant corals that may reveal special genes that make them resistant to the warming waters resulting from climate change.
Coral reef ecosystems - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
WEBFeb 1, 2019 · Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Coral polyps, the animals primarily responsible for building reefs, can take many forms: large reef building colonies, graceful flowing fans, and even small, solitary organisms.
NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) - Coral Facts
WEBThere are over 600 species of coral found in the Coral Triangle alone—a region encompassing the waters around the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands—making this region the global hotspot of coral diversity. Coral Facts.
Corals Tutorial: Corals: Massive Corals - NOAA's National Ocean Service
WEBMassive corals are characteristically ball- or boulder-shaped and relatively slow-growing. Because they have very stable profiles, massive corals are seldom damaged by strong wave action unless they are dislodged from their holdfasts.
NOAA CoRIS - What are Coral Reefs
WEBAug 28, 2024 · Coral reefs are unique (e.g., the largest structures on earth of biological origin) and complex systems. Rivaling old growth forests in longevity of their ecological communities, well-developed reefs reflect thousands …
Coral Reefs | Learn Science at Scitable - Nature
WEBCoral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. What are the abiotic and biotic interactions that structure this diverse ecosystem?