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A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. [1] Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Coral belongs to the class Anthozoa in the animal phylum Cnidaria, which includes sea anemones and ...
Marine botany is the study of flowering vascular plant species and marine algae that live in shallow seawater of the open ocean and the littoral zone, along shorelines of the intertidal zone, coastal wetlands, and low-salinity brackish water of estuaries. It is a branch of marine biology and botany.
Halimeda opuntia is found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, [4] and the Caribbean Sea and around the coasts of Florida and the Bahamas. It grows in grooves, depressions and cracks in rocks and between coral heads in moderately protected parts of the reef, at depths down to about 55 m (180 ft).
The classification of corals has been discussed for millennia, owing to having similarities to both plants and animals. Aristotle's pupil Theophrastus described the red coral, korallion, in his book on stones, implying it was a mineral, but he described it as a deep-sea plant in his Enquiries on Plants, where he also mentions large stony plants that reveal bright flowers when under water in ...
Seagrass cell walls contain the same polysaccharides found in angiosperm land plants, such as cellulose [103] However, the cell walls of some seagrasses are characterised by sulfated polysaccharides, [104] [105] which is a common attribute of macroalgae from the groups of red, brown and also green algae.
From shallow waters to the deep sea, the open ocean to rivers and lakes, numerous terrestrial and marine species depend on the surface ecosystem and the organisms found there. [28] The ocean's surface acts like a skin between the atmosphere above and the water below, and harbours an ecosystem unique to this environment.
The best coastal plants are known for their color, texture and movement as they shift and ripple in a sea breeze. If you live by the sea you'll need a selection of the best coastal plants that are ...
The best-known types of reefs are tropical coral reefs which exist in most tropical waters; however, reefs can also exist in cold water. Reefs are built up by corals and other calcium-depositing animals, usually on top of a rocky outcrop on the ocean floor. Reefs can also grow on other surfaces, which has made it possible to create artificial ...