What are sea urchins?

Nov 21, 2024 ... Corals are small marine animals. The “hard” type of coral grows with the help of algae, which gives it color and nutrients that help it form a ... When corals get stressed, from things such as heat or pollution, they react by expelling this algae, leaving a white skeleton behind. This is known as 'coral ... Corals can survive a bleaching event if waters cool down and other sources of nutrition are available, but they are under more stress and ultimately susceptible ... Nov 18, 2024 ... During heavy rain events, rivers discharge sediment and freshwater. This creates plumes that stress corals by disrupting the reef environment ... Without the algae, corals become bleached and can die. Reef ecosystems around the world depend on healthy corals. Without them, the entire reef ecosystem ... Corals are formed by multiple small, soft organisms known as polyps. They secrete a rocky chalk-like (calcium carbonate) exoskeleton around themselves for ... They are relatives of jellyfish and anemones. Corals can ex- ist as individual polyps, or in colonies and communities that contain hundreds to hundreds of ... Oct 14, 2022 ... Coral bleaching is much more than an aesthetic loss. It is an environmental indicator: an omen of starving animals, a failing ocean ecosystem and a devastating ... Coral reefs are therefore created by millions of tiny polyps forming large carbonate structures, and are the basis of a framework and home for hundreds of ... Hard corals are the building blocks of coral reefs, and the mainstay of the coral cap at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.