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Orbicella annularis at Molasses Reef, Florida Keys. Orbicella annularis, commonly known as the Boulder star coral, is a species of coral that lives in the western Atlantic Ocean and is the most thoroughly studied and most abundant species of reef-building coral in the Caribbean to date. [3]
It mainly occurs on the seaward sides of reefs but also occurs on the back slopes. Its favoured depth range is 8 to 30 metres (26 to 98 ft) but it occurs at any depth less than 80 metres (260 ft). It tolerates locations with high levels of sedimentation and turbidity. It is generally the coral most frequently seen in the deeper parts of its range.
Agaricia agaricites, commonly known as lettuce coral or tan lettuce-leaf coral, is a species of colonial stony corals in the family Agariciidae. This coral is found in shallow waters in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The IUCN has assessed its status as being Vulnerable.
Pocillopora meandrina, commonly known as Cauliflower coral, is a species of coral occurring in the Indo-Pacific and Pacific oceans. This coral lives in shallow reef environments. This coral lives in shallow reef environments.
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 ...
Coralliidae, also known as precious corals, is a taxonomic family of soft corals belonging to the suborder Scleraxonia of the phylum Cnidaria. [1] These sessile corals are one of the most dominant members of hard-bottomed benthic environments such as seamounts, canyons and continental shelves. [2]
The skeleton of a stony coral in the order Scleractinia is secreted by the epidermis of the lower part of the polyp; this forms a corallite, a cup-shaped hollow made of calcium carbonate, in which the polyp sits. In colonial corals, following growth of the polyp by budding, new corallites are formed, with the surface of the skeleton being ...
Turbinaria reniformis is a zooxanthellate coral. It lives in symbiosis with unicellular dinoflagellates known as zooxanthellae. These photosynthetic protists provide their host coral with nutrients and energy, but in order to benefit from this, the coral needs to live in relatively shallow water and in a brightly lit position.