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Corallivores feed on coral using a variety of unique adaptations and strategies. Known corallivores include certain mollusks , annelids , fish , crustaceans , flatworms and echinoderms . The first recorded evidence of corallivory was presented by Charles Darwin in 1842 during his voyage on HMS Beagle in which he found coral in the stomach of ...
Siphonophorae (from Greek siphōn 'tube' + pherein 'to bear' [2]) is an order within Hydrozoa, which is a class of marine organisms within the phylum Cnidaria.According to the World Register of Marine Species, the order contains 175 species described thus far.
The biota of an aquatic ecosystem contribute to its self-purification, most notably microorganisms, phytoplankton, higher plants, invertebrates, fish, bacteria, protists, aquatic fungi, and more. These organisms are actively involved in multiple self-purification processes, including organic matter destruction and water filtration.
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 ...
Resting small fish are still vulnerable to attack by crevice predators, so many fish, such as triggerfish, squeeze into a small hiding place and wedge themselves by erecting their spines. [ 2 ] As an example of the adaptations made by reef fish, the yellow tang is a herbivore which feeds on benthic turf algae.
[9] [10] The alternation of the bony structures with the smaller gorgonin parts give the bamboo coral a finger-like appearance similar to that of the bamboo plant on land. [9] Bamboo coral was reported in 2005 to have been found on a dozen seamounts in the Pacific Ocean between Santa Barbara, California , and Kodiak, Alaska . [ 11 ]
A marine coastal ecosystem is a marine ecosystem which occurs where the land meets the ocean. Worldwide there is about 620,000 kilometres (390,000 mi) of coastline. Coastal habitats extend to the margins of the continental shelves, occupying about 7 percent of the ocean surface area.
Mangrove crabs are predated on by wading birds, fish, sharks, [8] monkeys, hawks, and raccoons. [7] The larvae of mangrove crabs is a major source of food for juvenile fish in waterways near the crabs. [24] Adult mangrove crabs are food for the crab plover among other protected species. [17] To protect themselves the crabs can climb trees. [25]