Coral Reefs by Tiernan O'Rorke https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3 The biology and ecology of a coral reef en-us 2017-09-14 15:45:15 UTC 2023-03-29 01:31:51 UTC hello@padlet.com Marine Biology The Biology and Ecology of a coral reef By Tiernan O’Rorke Coral is a new concept to me and I don’t know a lot about them that’s why I decided to research this. Different corals have different names besides just coral, Singular coral is called Polyp and a bunch of them are called a colony. When a lot of colonies come together they make a coral reef. Different corals have different names. Anthozoans are divided into two main groups. The Hexacorals have six smooth tentacles, and the Octocorals have tiny branches on all eight tentacles going down the whole length of the tentacles. Every coral is an Anthozoan except fire coral. Jellyfish are actually in the same category as coral, the Phylum Cnidaria.You might wonder did something evolve into coral? If it did evolve what made it? Well “evidence suggests that they started as simple, solitary organisms but, in response to changes in their environment, later evolved into the coral reefs we know today.” Right now you can find coral all across the oceans, either in shallow or deep water, only corals that make reefs are found in tropical and subtropical shallow waters. Wherever this is i’d like to live there.Corals are peculiar things because i’d never expect them to have this. The bodies of coral have a protective skeleton called a calcicle, which makes a coral reef. In a coral reef there can be all different colors of coral that joined together. Corals have tentacles too. Sometimes the are very poisonous.Corals are carnivores so they have to eat something. So coral in coral reefs eat zooplankton, nutrients from algae’s photosynthesis, and sometimes tiny fish. Also “Worms, snails and sea stars prey on adult corals. Coral reefs need salt water, they eat nutrients that come from algae's photosynthesis. Coral also sometimes bleach because of changes that they don’t like. Sometimes because of a coral bleaching whole colonies can be wiped out!There was a video from National Geographic courtesy of Queensland University of Technology this is what it’s about. It’s about a coral and it starts to bleach coral bleaching is when a coral loses its color because the zooxanthellae in the area died. It looks like the coral has a mouth at the top of it’s body. It starts to contract and pulse and move around. It’s super cool and weird. The process of building a coral reef is very interesting. If you dive below 60-90 feet you won’t see many flourishing coral. Reefs start out as one polyp which grabs on to the bottom of the sea. Then it splits itself into a bunch of polyp. The average coral reef can live between 5,000 to 10,000 years old. If you look for a coral reef in warm water ( 70-85 degrees) you will most likely find one growing. Coral as a special interaction with a certain species of plankton. Coral interacts with an algae called zooxanthellae. Coral gives zooxanthellae nutrients while zooxanthellae gives coral food. I think that it’s a win win if you ask me. Both plankton and coral gets what they wantSources: National Geographic, Coral Reef Alliance, Smithsonian Ocean Portal, and Global Reef Project. toroke https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/187630806 2017-09-14 15:53:14 UTC https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/187630806 toroke https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/187632032 video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/160816-news-coral-bleaching-time-lapse-vin]]> 2017-09-14 15:55:40 UTC https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/187632032 toroke https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/188023504 2017-09-15 16:53:54 UTC https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/188023504 It's an Octocoral! toroke https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/188023828 2017-09-15 16:54:42 UTC https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/188023828 A lot of Hexacorals! toroke https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/188025040 2017-09-15 16:57:34 UTC https://padlet.com/toroke/lissccx92yn3/wish/188025040