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Coral reef

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GroovyLady | 22:09 Thu 13th Jul 2006 | Science
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How do coral reefs form?
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Avatar Image naz_nomad
They are mostly Calcium Carbonate ... the skeletons of alga, and other sea critters
22:19 Thu 13th Jul 2006
Avatar Image steviep165
alga? skeletons? since when did soggy green weed have skeletons.

if you're a beginner, try this...

http://esvc000766.wic015u.server-web.com/bb_si te_intro/stage2_Modules/zoo/coral_reef.htm

studied them for a while, do yourself a favour and go dive on them.
00:58 Fri 14th Jul 2006
Avatar Image drestie
Corals are not soggy green weeds. They are colonial hydrozoan cnidarians. They do indeed have bodies made of calcium, and when they die, other coral polyps grow on top of the calcium skeletons left behind, thus forming a reef.
Most corals also have associated algae, which provide the coral hydrozoans with photosynthate as food.
02:57 Fri 14th Jul 2006
Avatar Image drestie
Sorry, stevie. Just reread your post. Yes, you are 100% correct that algae don't have skeletons :)
My apologies, it's been a long night!
03:03 Fri 14th Jul 2006
Avatar Image drestie
And they're Anthozoans, not hydrozoans, of course.
I think it's bedtime for estie!
03:06 Fri 14th Jul 2006
Avatar Image brachiopod
Would that be calcium carbonate in the form of calcite or aragonite, then?
23:13 Fri 14th Jul 2006

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