Coral reef - Wikipedia
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. [1] Most coral reefs are built …
What Are Coral Reefs? - Live Science
2018年9月24日 · 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 …
What is a Coral Reef? - NASA
2024年10月15日 · A coral reef is a term used to describe the collective structure of hard corals that help shape a coral reef ecosystem. “A coral reef is a reef whose main structure is made …
Coral reef | Description, Geochemistry, Origins, & Threats
2024年11月23日 · coral reef, ridge or hummock formed in shallow ocean areas by algae and the calcareous skeletons of certain coelenterates, of which coral polyps are the most important. A …
What Are Coral Reefs and Why Are They So Important?
2022年9月5日 · What Are Coral Reefs? A coral reef is a colony of hundreds of thousands of individual animals called coral polyps. These form when free-swimming coral larvae get …
Basic Information about Coral Reefs | US EPA - U.S.
2024年2月28日 · Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth. This web site describes the importance of coral reefs, threats to them, and ongoing …
Coral reef ecosystems - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
2019年2月1日 · 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 …
Coral - Education | National Geographic Society
2024年11月21日 · 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 …
What are corals? - NOAA's National Ocean Service
This tutorial is an overview of the biology of and threats to coral reefs, as well as efforts being made to conserve and protect them. It includes images, animations, and videos. Coral reefs …
Coral Reefs - UNEP - UN Environment Programme
Coral reefs underpin the safety, coastal protection, well-being, food and economic security of hundreds of millions of coastal people in least-developed countries, economies in transition, …