Red Coral Research Paper

The Ocean is a miraculous place filled to the brim with foreign creatures and wondrous wildlife. From the Great Orcas of the Antarctic waters to the minuscule plankton, these marine life conquer the ocean's depths, but it's not just the creatures that reside here. Coral occupy their fair share of space upon the ocean's floor filling the waters with their glamour and residential charm for those in search of shelter.

The combination of these environmental factors has led to some of the most beautiful colors that can only be found in the many corals that live here. Additionally sediments, twice as old as the reef, indicate that the region was once above sea level (Lunar).

Coral reefs exist all over the world and are generally known as being one of the most diverse, intricate and beautiful of all existing marine habitats. They have many varying structures which are developed by algae and are symbiotic with various reef building corals which are referred to as, zooxanthellae (algae). There are many other factors such as, coralline algae, sponges and other various organisms that are combined with a number of cementation processes which also contribute to reef growth, (CORAL REEFS, 2015).

Coral reefs are the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet. There are more than 25,000 known species of organisms and countless others that have yet to be identified (Helvarg, 2000). Reefs thrive on the shallow edge of tropical seas, most often on the eastern edge of continents along warm water currents that brush the coasts. Reefs cannot live in cold waters and are limited by ocean depth and available sunlight. Coral is the foundation of the reef community, providing a three-dimensional structure where thousands of species of vertebrates and invertebrates live and feed. Some species of coral are hard, while others soft. Some are branched, yet others are compact and rounded. Coral is made up of large

Coral reefs are wonderful places in the ocean they can be found in shallow water where it is warm and unpolluted. Funny thing is even though they look like plants they are living organisms. There are many kinds like lettuce coral, fire coral, and leather coral. There is also a lot of sea life like cuttlefish, manta ray, and reef whitetip shark. Speaking of sharks, the coral reef is also where many sharks feed.

Covering over 348,000 square kilometres, the reef is home to the most comprehensive coral ecosystem on the planet and is so large it can actually be observed from space (Australian government). Whilst predominantly being known for its large colourful reefs, is provides a home to a diverse array of marine creatures including 1625 different species of fish, around 600 types

The plants that live in the coral reefs are turtle grass, algae, zooxanthellae, and mangroves. The turtle grasses adaptation in it is relessent to storms. Algae has an adaptation of being attached to the sea bottom. Zooxanthellae is known for making its own light.mangroves are good at their reproduction. These are some of the plants that live in the coral reef biome.

There are many different varieties of coral, each varying in structure. There are Four classes of species of coral, each has its own method of harvesting. One species of coral is LPS and SPS, which means large-polyp stoney and small-polyp stoney. Aquarists write articles informing people about the structure of frogspawn coral, “ they are LPS corals that develop multiple branching heads connected to a single trunk like structure” (Gosnell, 82). Frogspawn is a

A coral reef is a ridge formed in shallow ocean water by accumulated calcium-containing exoskeletons of coral animals, certain red algae, and mollusks. Coral reefs are tropical, forming only where surface waters are never cooler than 20° C (68° F).

For a reef to develop successfully, it needs to grow in water that is greater than 18°C and less than 29°C and live in shallow clear water to allow for maximal light penetration, key for photosynthesis. However if the temperatures exceed more than 29 degrees for several hours upon end, coral bleaching is apparent. When corals begin to bleach they expel Zooxanthellae algae (which lives within the coral tissue), the coral transforms a pale white and in turn means it is extremely vulnerable and subject to increased fatalities. Furthermore, the presence of Tropical Cyclones can cause heavy physical damage to the reef, by breaking down coral colonies and displacing them from the reef structure.

Astraea, also known as star coral, are typically in the shape of what can be described as boulders, domes, or cones. However, less often they can be found in the form of flat plates or thick crusts (Great Star Coral, n.d.).. These colonies of coral grow to be up to 2.5 m in diameter. The color of Astraea can vary between green, brown, gray, orange, and red; the coral is more often bright red and orange during the day due to a cyanobacterial protein, which is an essential source of nitrogen (EDGE: Coral Reef Species, 2008). They only move very slightly in an almost, floating-like manner. Astraea can be found in almost all reef environments, and it is usually the most dominant coral at depths between 12 and 30 m (Kluijver, n.d.). These are often the most sedimented areas of the reef, which is where the Astraea thrive, due to their build. The colonies have very steep sides, which allows the sediment to simply, roll off the coral. If there is still sediment that settles into the colony, the polyps will produce waves of movement to remove them. Once again, if this technique is unsuccessful, the polyps will

The Astraea or otherwise known as Montastraea cavernosa is a colonial stony coral. It sometimes forms into plates and rounded domes in deep water. It forms into big boulders in shallow water. The star coral is usually green, brown, yellow, or gray. This coral has phycoerythrin which makes it fluorescent orange or red in the daytime. The great star coral is in the Anthozoa class and the Montastraeidae family.

In fact, there are many Coral nurseries in the world. Some of them are located in places such as, Cabo Rojo, La Parguera, Guanica, etc. The Corals

Red coral has been associated with auspiciousness and longevity from ancient times. It indicates nobility in Mahayana Buddhism and is one of the ‘Eight Precious Things’, a group of

      Coral reefs are continuously being both built up and decomposed, so different parts of a reef are in varying stages of succession (Richmond, 1993). Coral reefs are very fragile, because reef-building organisms cannot thrive if the surrounding water changes significantly. Coral reefs require very specific conditions in order to grow: a solid structure for the base; warm and consistent water temperatures (averaging between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius); stable salinity; moderate wave action; and clear water that is low in nutrients and plankton. The water on a healthy coral reef is clear because there are very few nutrients, so plankton that would cloud the water are few. In general corals grow slowly, but they are extremely efficient at living and reproducing in these conditions (American Zoologist, pg 524-536).