Table of contents:
Video: Fabulous beauty of a coral reef, or What is a coral
2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53
The beauty of the underwater world beckons with unusual shapes and exotic colors of inhabitants and plants. Coral reefs can be compared to a fairy tale filled with delightful treasures and fantastic characters. Often they are compared to a garden filled with bright flowers, but instead of songbirds, there are fish that have shapes that are unusual for the human eye and are decorated with patterns that you rarely see on land. Corals of bright colors - from bright pink and iridescent aquamarine to deep black - attract with unusual shapes and resistance to the destructive power of the ocean. Black coral is one of the most fragile and, due to increased human interest, one of the endangered species. In the scientific world, it is generally accepted that this outlandish beauty has adorned the Earth for more than 500 million years.
Nature of coral reefs
Upon a detailed consideration of the question “what is a coral”, you can find information that this term refers to both a living organism - a polyp, and the cementing substance with which it secretes, resembling a plant in appearance. Polyps belong to the same class as jellyfish - coelenterates, feed on plankton and live throughout the world's oceans. However, they have the ability to build grandiose reefs in shape and size only intropical waters where the temperature does not fall below 20 oC. Marine corals lead a stationary lifestyle, fixing themselves in one place and releasing their main building material of the external skeleton - calcium carbonate.
Unusual coral species
What is the coral called "sea fan"? When diving to deep-sea reefs, you can see soft corals that set the sea currents in motion. The polyps that form them build around themselves not stony, but flexible skeletons. Sometimes in shape they can form a fan, antennae resembling snakes or, growing taller than human growth, whips. At their tips are tentacles, which, opening up, absorb food for all members of the living colony.
Another unusual type of coral is tubular and cupped. It is he who creates the impression of a flowering garden on the seabed. Multi-colored "dust panicles" form polyps, the number of tentacles of which is a multiple of eight. They have a large number of stinging cells.
Types of coral reefs
One of the most famous, due to its size and complexity of the structure, the coral reef is located in the north-east of Australia. It is a barrier species, i.e., it is located at a significant (sometimes several tens of kilometers) distance from the coast. Between them is a lagoon, usually having a great depth. Fringing reefs are often found. They are located directly along the coast in shallow water. In the open space of the ocean, you canmeet coral reefs of ring-shaped formations - atolls. They are of volcanic origin and can turn into blooming islands.
Animal world of coral reefs
The organisms living in coral reefs are closely interconnected in their life activity, forming a complex ecosystem. Most of its elements are so dependent on each other that they cannot exist outside their home, just like the coral reef itself. What is a coral without oxygen, carbohydrates, constant purification from waste products? No longer a living organism. This is done by algae that live in one of the layers of polyps.
What is coral for the inhabitants of the ocean? Around the reefs, there are more than 1,500 species of fish of various sizes and shapes. Favorable habitat here and for several species of whales. Most species of sea turtles prefer to breed on coral islands, choosing them as the safest place. Favorable places for food and a variety of sea birds have not been ignored.
Recommended:
Coral reef. Great Coral Reef. The underwater world of coral reefs
Oceans and seas are the property of mankind, since not only most of all species of living creatures known (and unknown) to science live in them. In addition, only in the gloomy depths of sea waters can one sometimes see such pictures, the beauty of which can sometimes simply stun even the most “thick-skinned” person. Look at any coral reef and you will see that nature is many times superior to the creation of even the most talented artist
Will beauty save the world? "Beauty will save the world" - who owns this statement?
“…what is beauty and why do people deify it? Is she a vessel, in which there is emptiness, or fire, flickering in a vessel? So wrote the poet N. Zabolotsky in the poem "Beauty will save the world." And the catchphrase in the title is known to almost every person. She probably touched the ears of beautiful women and girls more than once, flying off the lips of men fascinated by their beauty. This wonderful expression belongs to the famous Russian writer F. M. Dostoevsky
Anastasia Zueva - fabulous master of the episode
Her life is another confirmation of the old truth: to live a bright life, to leave a mark in the memory of descendants, it is not necessary to always play only the first roles. The main thing is talent and dedication
"Fabulous" is a borrowed word, but what does it mean?
Often, people use words in their speech, the meaning of which they do not fully understand. For example, such a statement can be criticized: "The boring party at the party was just enchanting!" And all because the author of this expression does not know the meaning of the word he uses. After all, “enchanting” is fabulous, magical, wonderful. But can boredom be wonderful and magical?
Mesmerizing beauty: coral snake
No matter how much you study the incredible wonders of our planet, there is always room for surprise. We are accustomed to secretive reptiles, gliding imperceptibly among foliage and grass. The coral snake produces a completely different impression. One name is worth it! There is a lot of talk about this reptile. She regularly takes prizes in various ratings, captivating experts with her appearance and habits. Let's see what's so special about her