Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are the most diverse of all marine ecosystems, providing about one-quarter of all ocean species with food and shelter. Corals are marine invertebrates in the phylum Cnidaria. Most think that coral is a plant, but it is in fact an animal. Coral is an individual polyp held together by calcium carbonate. Coral polyps are cylinders, with a mouth at one end, and tentacles to assist with feeding. Coral reefs can be found in an abundance of environments. There are warm-water coral and cold-water coral. Warm-water coral reefs need shallow sunlight with alkaline water to assist with calcification and growth at a high rate to maintain their calcium carbonate structure. Cold-water coral reefs live down in lower light and accumulate calcium carbonate at lower rates. Their bright color is not something they are born with. Their polyp bodies start out clear but as they grow, various types of algae grow in them. These algae are what give the coral their beautiful color. One specific algae called zooxanthellae helps the coral in several ways, like removing waste and giving the coral energy. They capture the sunlight and convert it into energy, just like plants do. In turn, the zooxanthellae have a place to live to protect themselves (this is called a symbiotic relationship just like anemones and clownfish). If corals do not have this particular algae, they will not survive. There are several factors that have contributed to the massive number of coral reefs dying in our oceans and not having the presence of zooxanthellae is one of them (I’ll explain more about this in my video).

I am sure the question of “Why is this important to us?” has crossed the mind of the reader. Coral reefs are extremely important to human culture by providing us with food, protection of the shorelines and sometimes even medicines. These magnificent creatures are considered “Nature’s Water Filtration System”. We need them more than you think! Please help us save the coral!

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