Coral
Coral
Coral (/ˈkɔːrəl/ KOR-əl) is a collective term for a group of marine invertebrates in the class Anthozoa. The term is often used to refer to the hard, calcium carbonate structures secreted by these organisms, which form extensive reefs in tropical oceans.
Etymology
The word "coral" comes from the Ancient Greek word "korallion," which referred to the red coral found in the Mediterranean Sea. The term was later applied to the similar-looking but unrelated hard structures produced by certain marine invertebrates.
Description
Corals are colonial organisms, meaning they live in large groups or "colonies" made up of many individual polyps. Each polyp is a small, soft-bodied organism that is attached to a hard skeleton. The polyps feed by extending their tentacles into the water to capture small particles of food.
Types of Coral
There are two main types of coral: hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals are the reef-building corals, which secrete a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate. Soft corals, on the other hand, do not produce a hard skeleton and instead have a flexible, tree-like structure.
Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are large underwater structures composed of the skeletons of colonial marine invertebrates called corals. They are some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, home to a wide variety of marine species.
Related Terms
- Polyp: The individual organism in a coral colony.
- Zooxanthellae: Symbiotic algae that live within the tissues of corals and provide them with nutrients.
- Bleaching: A phenomenon in which corals expel their symbiotic algae, often in response to environmental stress, causing them to turn white.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Coral
- Wikipedia's article - Coral
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