The Great Barrier Reef is known for its biodiversity, breathtaking coral formations, and importance in marine life. Learn why ...

“Coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.” Corals are marine invertebrates that live in communities of hundreds to thousands of identical, individual soft-bodied polyps. Each ...

Coral polyps, the reef's building blocks, are tiny colonial animals that house symbiotic algae in their cells. As those algae photosynthesize—using light to create energy—each polyp is fueled ...

Now, to keep Florida’s reef alive, scientists have to breed corals almost entirely in labs on land, where the water is clean ...

Scientists race to protect coral polyps — and the fragile ecosystems they host — from becoming deep-sea ghost towns. Laura Boast Vividly coloured coral reefs are a beautiful backdrop in ...

Become a coral hero and make a positive impact while traveling in Costa Rica by assisting local efforts with vital coral reef ...

But what exactly is coral bleaching, and why is this so damaging? We’ll explain everything you need to know, in a nutshell… Corals are tiny animals called a ‘polyps’, that typically live in large ...

https://doi.org/10.2307/1536652 • https://www.jstor.org/stable/1536652 Copy URL ...

At 34 metres wide, the organism is made up of a network of coral polyps, tiny individual creatures. Just when we think there is nothing left to discover on planet earth, we find a massive coral ...

Corals are made up of tiny living organisms called coral polyps, which attach themselves to the sea floor. When polyps die, they become hard, and new polyps grow on top of them. Gradually ...

The larva grows into a coral polyp, then a colony that matures and releases larvae that colonize other rocks. In time, it helps to create one of nature’s most spectacular ecosystems: a coral reef.