Polyps |
Polyp to Reef |
Coral reefs are made up of many coral polyps that are connected together to make a colony. The polyps are soft bodied organisms, much like the jellyfish and sea anemones. Their body is a cylinder-like shape with one end opened. The closed end connects to a surface such as the seafloor. These polyps divide into many other polyps and connect to each other to form a colony and join other colonies to form a reef. The opened end of the polyp has tentacles that sting any small organisms swimming in range and will capture the organism and digest it [1]
|
Polyps are actually clear and translucent organisms. The beautiful colors seen on the reefs is an algae called zooxanthellae. This algae uses photosynthesis to make food to pass to their host, the coral. In return, the coral gives off nutrients to the algae. This connection between the coral and the zooxanthellae allows the coral to grow and build up to become a reef [1]
|