stony coral
Calcified marine polyp
Stony corals are marine invertebrates that build hard calcium carbonate skeletons, forming the structural foundation of coral reefs.
Unlike soft corals, which remain flexible, stony corals secrete rigid external skeletons that accumulate over centuries into massive reef formations.
Each coral colony consists of thousands of tiny polyps—soft-bodied animals related to jellyfish—living within cup-shaped compartments in the skeleton.
Most stony corals host symbiotic algae that provide them with nutrients through photosynthesis, which is why reef-building species thrive only in shallow, sunlit waters.
Fixed aquatic invertebrates
- septumInternal anatomical partition
- tentaclesFlexible grasping appendages
- nematocystsStinging organelles of cnidarians
- skeletonInternal supportive framework
calcium carbonate · aragonite · columella · theca · tissue · mouth · budding · colonial
Mineral hardening of tissue
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- frameworkUnderlying support system
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- massiveExtremely large and heavy
branching · encrusting · tabular · lagoon · barrier reef · atoll · cementation · substrate
Light-to-sugar conversion in plants
- mutualismTwo-way biological benefit
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- microbiomeBody's microbial community
- coevolutionReciprocal adaptation between interacting species
expelled · thermal stress · recovery · reinfection · clade
Organism's natural environment
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- nurseryRoom for infants
- food webInterconnected predator-prey relationships
trophic · grazing · predation · parrotfish · crown-of-thorns · refugia · benthic · spawning
Chemical color removal
- ocean acidificationSeawater pH dropping from CO2
- warmingIncreasing in temperature
- degradationDecline in condition
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
restoration · transplantation · CITES · endangered · threatened · monitoring · recovery · decline
polyps
Fixed aquatic invertebrates
- septumInternal anatomical partition
- tentaclesFlexible grasping appendages
- nematocystsStinging organelles of cnidarians
skeleton · calcium carbonate · aragonite · columella · theca · tissue · mouth · budding · colonial · sessile
cnidaria
Stinging aquatic animal phylum
- anthozoaFlower-like marine invertebrates
calcification
Mineral hardening of tissue
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- frameworkUnderlying support system
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
massive · branching · encrusting · tabular · lagoon · barrier reef · atoll · cementation · substrate · colonization
photosynthesis
Light-to-sugar conversion in plants
- mutualismTwo-way biological benefit
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- microbiomeBody's microbial community
coevolution · expelled · thermal stress · recovery · reinfection · clade
habitat
Organism's natural environment
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- nurseryRoom for infants
food web · trophic · grazing · predation · parrotfish · crown-of-thorns · refugia · benthic · spawning · larvae
bleaching
Chemical color removal
- ocean acidificationSeawater pH dropping from CO2
- warmingIncreasing in temperature
- degradationDecline in condition
resilience · restoration · transplantation · CITES · endangered · threatened · monitoring · recovery · decline · anthropogenic
stony coralsoft coral
Flexible reef-building invertebrate
sea fan · sea pen · sea anemone · jellyfish
stone, stony, stones, coral, stoneware, stonework, corals, stonily, stonemason