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The zooxanthellae are photosynthetic, and as the water temperature rises, they begin to produce reactive oxygen species. [2] This is toxic to the coral, so the coral expels the zooxanthellae. [2] Since the zooxanthellae produce the majority of coral colouration, the coral tissue becomes transparent, revealing the coral skeleton made of calcium ...
Zooxanthellae alternate between life phases expressed as cysts and as motile organisms in the water column. [14] [15] In zooxanthellae of the genus Gymnodinium, one possible life cycle of the cell begins as an immature cyst which reaches maturity then divides to form an immature cyst once more. Once growing into an older cell, it becomes no ...
Zoanthids can be distinguished from other colonial anthozoans and soft coral by their characteristic of incorporating sand and other small pieces of material into their tissue to help make their structure (except for the family Zoanthidae). A main characteristic of the order is that their tentacles are all marginal.
Coral sheds its algae, which provides both its color and its food, when the water gets too hot for too long. This is called bleaching. If the water doesn’t cool down quickly enough, coral can ...
The acidity of the water will slowly dissolve the leftover coral skeletons, essentially damaging the structural integrity of the coral reef. There are many organisms that also rely on the algae and zooxanthellae for their main source of food. Therefore, organisms in the bleached coral reef are forced to leave in search of new food sources ...
Symbiotic Symbiodiniaceae are sometimes colloquially referred to as Zooxanthellae, though the latter term can be interpreted to include other families of symbiotic algae as well. [7] While many Symbiodiniaceae species are endosymbionts, others are free living in the water column or sediment.
If sea water temperatures rise, conditions may becomes stressful for the corals, and they may expel their zooxanthellae. This process is known as coral bleaching as, without their symbionts, the corals are white. [2] Durusdinium trenchii is a stress-tolerant species, a generalist able to form mutualistic relationships with many species of coral ...
This process, called filter feeding, is facilitated when the "fan" is oriented across the prevailing current to maximise water flow to the gorgonian, hence food supply. Some gorgonians contain algae, or zooxanthellae. This symbiotic relationship assists in giving the gorgonian nutrition by photosynthesis. Gorgonians possessing zooxanthellae are ...