Is it a rock? animal? or plant?
Aloha
learners! My name is poly the coral polyp and these other polyps are my friends
that make up a coral colony. I am an invertebrate, which means I have no back
bone. Are you an invertebrate? Anyway, corals are animals that belong to the Phylum Cnidaria in
the Class Anthozoa. Close relatives of corals are jellyfish, hyrdae, and sea
anemones. My coral polyps have a simple body plan made up of a single opening
of a gastrovascular cavity, where the food enters and exits the same opening.
Like my anemone cousins, my mouth is surround by tentacles that have stinging
cells (nematocysts) that are fired to paralyze prey. Don’t worry, my stinging
cells are too small to hurt you if you touch, but you should not touch me
because it could hurt my fragile tissues.
| Credit: constantinealexander.net |
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| Credit: Encyclopedia Britannica, INC |
Within my
coral tissue, I have little algae friends that provide 90% of my diet for me.
These friends are also known as zooxanthellae (Symbionts). Since the zooxanthellae provide most of my diet, I
provide protection and a home for my algae friends. Our relationship is known
as symbiosis, where both the zooxanthellae and myself benefit from our
relationship. Also, the zooxanthellae provide the color of my tissue, without
my algae friends I would be translucent or clear. When temperatures too high, I
loose my algae friends and look a bleached color because my tissue is clear and
my limestone skeleton is white. This is called coral bleaching. Once I have
lost my main source of food supply (my zooxanthellae), I have trouble surviving
and eating by catching very small animals in the water (zooplankton). If I go
too long without my zooxanthellae, I may die. That is why is it very important
for me to keep my zooxanthellae.
I can live
up to hundreds of years, while my colony may live up to centuries. Right now,
myself and other corals are greatly endangered and need your help. My family
makes up less than 1% of the ocean floor but supports 25% of all marine
creatures.
Also,
corals like myself are very sensitive to climate change and pollution that is
present in the water column. It is important to be environmentally friendly by
doing little things in your daily life, such as riding a bike instead of
driving, recycling, and learning more about the marine environment.
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| Newly settled coral polyp Credit: Madison Kosma |
Interesting facts
Type:
Invertebrate
Average life span in the wild:
Polyp: 2 years to hundreds of years
Colony: 5 years to several centuries
Size:
Polyp: 0.63 to 30.5 cm
Group name:
Colony
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| Newly settled coral Credit: Madison Kosma |
Life Cycle:
Coral larvae is called a planula before it settles into a coral spat.
Protection status:
Endangered
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| Montipora dilatata Credit: Madison Kosma |
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| Credit: Madison Kosma |
Want to help corals?
Check out the Nature's Conservancy's
Information received from
www.science.discovery.com
www.nationalgeographic.com
www.floridakeys.noaa.gov/corals/coralanimals.html
www.wikipedy.com/coral_reef_information_for_kids.htm
www.nature.com
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