Coral Reefs - Flora
Coral is not a plant; it is an animal! Even though the photo on the left looks like a photograph of a plant, it is actually a photograph showing the homes of coral polyps, tiny animals which build shells around themselves.
It can be hard to see flora in a coral reef - almost all life on a reef depends in some way on Phytoplankton, tiny floating plants that use light to make food. Some reefs also have seaweed growing on rocks, but this can also destroy the reef.
You can find out about plankton at:
It can be hard to see flora in a coral reef - almost all life on a reef depends in some way on Phytoplankton, tiny floating plants that use light to make food. Some reefs also have seaweed growing on rocks, but this can also destroy the reef.
You can find out about plankton at:
- Underwater Algae [http://library.thinkquest.org/08aug/00411/UnderwaterAlgae.html]
- The Role of Phytoplankton [http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/seawifs/phytoplankton.htm]
- National Geographic: Why is seaweed killing... [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0823_TVseaweed.html]
- Discover Magazine: Overfishing gives seaweed... [http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/05/11/overfishing-gives-toxic-seaweeds-an-edge-in-their-competition-with-corals/]