Web Search Results for "coral reef"

Coral reef - Wikipedia
18 Mar 2024 at 8:12am
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. 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 jellyfish.

Coral Reefs - National Geographic Society
18 Mar 2024 at 3:21pm
Reefs provide a large fraction of Earth?s biodiversity ?they have been called ?the rain forests of the seas.? Scientists estimate that 25 percent of all marine species live in and around coral reefs, making them one of the most diverse habitats in the world.

Coral reef | Description, Geochemistry, Origins, & Threats
17 Mar 2024 at 2:32pm
Coral reef, ridge or hummock formed in shallow ocean areas by algae and the calcareous skeletons of coral polyps and other coelenterates. A coral reef may grow into a permanent coral island. Often called ?rainforests of the sea,? coral reefs are home to a spectacular variety of organisms.

Basic Information about Coral Reefs | US EPA
18 Mar 2024 at 10:35am
Coral reefs provide habitat for a large variety of marine life, including various sponges, oysters, clams, crabs, sea stars, sea urchins, and many species of fish. Coral reefs are also linked ecologically to nearby seagrass, mangrove, and mudflat communities.

Coral reef ecosystems - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
18 Mar 2024 at 12:15pm
marine life. education. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Coral polyps, the animals primarily responsible for building reefs, can take many forms: large reef building colonies, graceful flowing fans, and even small, solitary organisms.

Coral - National Geographic Society
18 Mar 2024 at 11:39am
Coral reefs are among the most complex and fascinating marine ecosystems in the sea, and they include a wide range of symbiotic relationships. Coral reefs are sometimes known as the ?rainforests of the sea.? Nearly a quarter of all the fish in the sea rely on healthy coral reefs. Corals provide habitats for fish and other organisms in the ...

What Are Coral Reefs? | Live Science
18 Mar 2024 at 7:15am
Coral reefs are large underwater structures composed of the skeletons of colonial marine invertebrates called coral. The coral species that build reefs are known as hermatypic, or "hard,"...

Coral Reefs and Corals | Smithsonian Ocean
18 Mar 2024 at 7:18pm
Coral reefs are the most diverse of all marine ecosystems. They teem with life, with perhaps one-quarter of all ocean species depending on reefs for food and shelter. This is a remarkable statistic when you consider that reefs cover just a tiny fraction (less than one percent) of the earth?s surface and less than two percent of the ocean bottom.

Coral Reefs 101 | National Geographic - YouTube
17 Mar 2024 at 2:01am
17K. 1.7M views 6 years ago. What are coral reefs? Coral can be found in tropical ocean waters around the world. But how much do you know about reefs and the tiny animals?polyps?that build...

Reef - National Geographic Society
18 Mar 2024 at 11:11am
Article. Vocabulary. A reef is a ridge of material at or near the surface of the ocean. Reefs can occur naturally. Natural reefs are made of rocks or the skeletons of small animals called corals. Reefs can also be artificial?created by human beings. Artificial Reefs. People create reefs for three chief reasons.



WHAT IS THIS? This is an unscreened compilation of results from several search engines. The sites listed are not necessarily recommended by Surfnetkids.com.