Examples | Coral (2024)

FAQs

What are good questions about coral reefs? ›

The most common hard coral species are Boulder Star, Montastrea annularis, Great Star, Montastrea cavernosa, Massive Starlet, Siderastrea siderea, Mustard Hill, Porites astroides, and Grooved Brain, Colpophyllia natans.

Coral is a class of colonial animal that is related to hydroids, jellyfish, and sea anemones. It is made up of thousands of tiny animals called polyps. Corals also provide habitat for a large variety of marine life, including various sponges, oysters, clams, crabs, sea stars, sea urchins, and many species of fish.

Coral polyps are tiny, soft-bodied organisms related to sea anemones and jellyfish. At their base is a hard, protective limestone skeleton called a calicle, which forms the structure of coral reefs. Reefs begin when a polyp attaches itself to a rock on the sea floor, then divides, or buds, into thousands of clones.

Pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing practices using dynamite or cyanide, collecting live corals for the aquarium market, mining coral for building materials, and a warming climate are some of the many ways that people damage reefs all around the world every day.

Benefits of coral reef ecosystems

Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local communities, and offer opportunities for recreation. They are also are a source of food and new medicines. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection.

Fish, marine worms, barnacles, crabs, snails and sea stars all prey on the soft inner tissues of coral polyps. In extreme cases, entire reefs can be devastated if predator populations become too high. Coral reefs may recover from periodic traumas caused by weather or other natural occurrences.

There are two main types of corals: hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals, like elkhorn coral and staghorn coral, grow in colonies and are often referred to as “reef-building corals.” Hard corals create skeletons out of calcium carbonate, a hard substance that eventually becomes rock.

Coral reefs begin to form when free-swimming coral larvae attach to submerged rocks or other hard surfaces along the edges of islands or continents. As the corals grow and expand, reefs take on one of three major characteristic structures—fringing, barrier, or atoll.

Are corals alive? ›

Although corals are mistaken for non-living things, they are live animals. Corals are considered living animals because they fit into the five criteria that define them (1. Multicellular; 2. Consumes other organisms for food; 3.

A coral reef is made of thin layers of calcium carbonate

Coral polyps form a living mat over a calcium carbonate skeleton. Stony corals (or scleractinians) are the corals primarily responsible for laying the foundations of, and building up, reef structures.

Corals are invertebrate animals belonging to a large group of colourful and fascinating animals called Cnidaria. Other animals in this group that you may have seen in rock pools or on the beach include jelly fish and sea anemones.

Answer: Lakshadweep is a group of islands having Coral Origin. In India, A group of islands is called an archipelago. The Lakshadweep is located on the shore of Kerala in the south region. The coral origin has its habitat and other exotic species and marine species.

Most established shallow water coral reefs are 5,000 – 10,000 years old. Deep-sea corals grow very slowly. Some species only grow about 10 millimeters per year. A colony of black coral was determined to be 4,265 years old and are the oldest known marine organisms.

Threats in Different Coral Reef Regions

Indonesia has the largest area of threatened coral reefs, with fishing threats being the main stressor on coral reefs. More than 75% of the coral reefs in the Atlantic are threatened.

They contain some of the most colorful and varied forms of life on earth. Thousands of living organisms rely on coral reefs for survival. For corals to really survive and thrive they need to have these three factors, the right temperature, the right depth, and strong enough wave action to bring in nutrients.

By studying reefs, we can try to understand how ocean temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and sea level changed in over millions of years. Coral reefs are also rich ecosystems.