Coral Information


Coral Information

There are 25 informational link matches for 'Coral'.

Red Coral
Red Coral W/ Brain Coral.

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More About Corals ...

Corals are gastrovascular marine cnidarians (Phylum: Cnidaria; Class: Anthozoa) existing as small anemone-like polyps, typically forming colonies of many individuals. The group includes the important reef builders known as hermatypic corals, found in tropical oceans, and belonging to the Subclass: Zoantharia, Order: Scleractinia (formerly Madreporaria). The latter are also known as stony corals inasmuch as the living tissue thinly covers a skeleton composed of calcium carbonate. The hermatypic corals obtain much of their nutrient requirement from symbiotic unicellular algae called zooxanthellae, and so are dependent upon growing in sunlight. As a result, these corals are usually found not far beneath the surface, although in clear waters corals can grow at depths of 60 m (200 ft). Corals breed by spawning, with all corals of the same species in a region releasing gametes simultaneously over a period of one to several nights around a full moon.

There are several other types of corals, notably the octocorals (Subclass: Octocorallia) and corals classified in other orders of Subclass: Zoantharia: to wit, the black corals (Order: Antipatharia) and the soft corals (Order Zoanthinaria). Extinct corals include rugose corals and tabulate coral. These two groups went extinct at the end of the Paleozoic. Most other anthozoans would be treated under the common name of anemone.

Coral can be sensitive to environmental changes, and as a result are generally protected through environmental laws. A coral reef can easily be swamped in algae if there is too much nitrogen in the water. Coral will also die if the water temperature changes by more than a degree or two and becomes too hot or too cold or if the salinity of the water drops. In an early symptom of environmental stress, corals expel their zooxanthellae; without their symbiotic unicellular algae, coral tissues are colorless, revealing the white of their calcium carbonate skeletons, an event known as 'coral bleaching'.

Ancient coral reefs on land are often mined for limestone. An example of this is the quarrying of Portland limestone from the Isle of Portland.

Reddish coral is sometimes used as a gemstone especially in Tibet. Pure red coral is known as 'fire coral' and it is very rare because of the demand for perfect fire coral for jewellery-making purposes.

Source: Wikipedia Read more about Corals

INFO LINKS

Corals
SeaWorld Adventure Parks
Tons of informationon Corals and Coral Reefs like scientific classification, habitat and distribution, physical characterestics, senses, reproduction. Great for school work! Read More

Coral
National Geographic
Coral fact sheet and pictures; video clip Read More

Corals
seasky.org
"Corals & Anemones Page 1 Although many people mistake corals and anemones as plants, they are actually animals. They are part of an ancient and simple group of animals known as cnidaria". Beautiful Pictures of different kinds of corals and a brief description Read More

Hawaiian Corals
Coralreefnetwork.com
Beautiful Pictures. "There are 55 species of Scleractinian corals recorded at normal diving depths in Hawai'i to date" Narrative and links to different species of corals. Read More

Corals
Enchanted Learning.com
"Coral polyps are small marine invertebrate animals. Most polyps live in large colonies. " Information on habitat, life cycle, anatomy, diet, predators, etc. Good site for school work Read More

Corals
Oceanoasis.com
"Reef-building corals are only found in the tropics, although other types of corals are found throughout the world's oceans" Information on range and habitat, natural history, reproduction, etc. Nice Photos. Read More

Staghorn Corals
AnimalDiversity.com
Categorized information on range, food habits, economic importance for humans, conservation, etc. "In particular, - Acropora cervicornis - is one of the primary reef building corals in the Caribbean (Birkeland 1997)". Read More

corals, Hard Coral
reefpix.com
"Hard corals have a cup like skeleton of calcium carbonate and are reef building corals" Categorized information on spawning, bleaching, symbiotic algae, etc. Read More

Coral
life.bio.sunysb.edu
High school level information on coral reefs. "The dominant organisms are known as framework builders, because they provide the matrix for the growing reef". Read More

Flower Coral
Bonnaire Gallery
Exquisite picture of flower coral Read More

coral
seaworld.org
nice site on coral reefs Read More

coral
seasky.org
information on corals and coral reefs Read More

coral
wednet.edu
interesting information on animal life found around coral reefs Read More

Scleractinian ("hard-rayed") corals
UC Berkeley
"They are probably not closely related to the extinct tabulate or rugose corals, and probably arose independently from a sea anemone-like ancestor" Interesting Narrative Read More

Rugosa Corals
UC Berkeley
"The Rugosa are an extinct group of corals that were abundant in Middle Ordovician to Late Permian seas" Brief description. Read More

Corals
ThinkQuest.com
"Corals are special living animals. Many people think corals are just rocks, but they are ALIVE and are like humans". Brief Narrative Read More

Corals
cyhaus.com
"Coral bleaching occurs when the corals lose their algae (the algae or dinoflagellate is what cause the beautiful colors that a coral has). The result of losing its algae causes the coral to "bleach" (become completely white", Find out more about coral bleaching. Brief description. Read More

Capnella Corals
www.garf.com
"This fast growing soft coral is very easy to propagate" Information on Capnell Coral and how to grow them Read More

Soft Corals
http://www.exotictropicals.com
"True soft corals, according to the definition, all belong to the subclass Octocorallia" Find out more about soft corals Read More

Corals
greenpeace.org
List of Reefs already under assault. More on Coral Bleaching. Find out about how dying coral reefs can have negative social-economic effects. Read More

Corals, Hard Corals
Liveaquaria.com
Description of Hard Corals Read More

Zooxanthellate Corals
http://porites.geology.uiowa.edu/
Links to glossary, characters, identification tools, etc. Read More

Corals
http://www.uvi.edu
Brief narrative on Anatomy of Corals Read More

Staghorn corals
http://www.sulawesi-dive-quest.com
Photo of staghorn coral Read More

Staghorn Corals
Masla.com
"Of the four basic groups of corals in the hobby ( ie: colonial polyps, soft corals, hard corals and SPS corals ) they were the last group available to the hobby. Their appeal is due to the variety of colors, fast growth, and 'frag-ability'" Read More

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