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| | | How Do Stony Corals Grow? |
Maintained by NOAA
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| | How Do Stony Corals Grow? | | | | Most stony corals have very small polyps, averaging 1 to 3 millimeters in diameter, but entire colonies can grow very large and weigh several tons. As they grow, these reefs provide structural habitats for hundreds to thousands of different vertebrate and invertebrate species. The skeletons of stony corals are secreted by the lower portion of the polyp. This process produces a cup, or calyx, in which the polyp sits. The walls surrounding the cup are called the theca, and the floor is called the basal plate. Periodically, a polyp will lift off its base and secrete a new basal plate above the old one, creating a small chamber in the skeleton. While the colony is alive, CaCO3 is deposited, adding partitions and elevating the coral. Coral species number in the thousands, and stony corals take on several characteristic forms. Reefs form when polyps secrete skeletons of calcium carbonate | | | | |
 | | | | | | | Title | Coral Reef Conservation
( WEBSITE )
| | Description | Coral reefs are some of the most biologically rich and economically valuable ecosystems on Earth. They provide food, jobs, income, protection and other important services to billions of people worldwide. Yet, they are threatened by an increasing array of impacts from over-exploitation, pollution, habitat loss, invasive species, diseases, bleaching and global climate change. The rapid decline and loss of these valuable, ancient, and complex marine ecosystems have significant social, economic, and environmental consequences in the United States and around the world. As steward of the nation's marine resources, NOAA helps coastal communities, managers, scientists and other partners to understand and sustainably manage coral reef ecosystems. | | Keywords | NOAA/NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE CORAL REEF CONSERVATION | | Geography Keywords | USA GLOBAL | | Content Language(s) | English | | Web Address (URL) | http://www.nos.noaa.gov/ ... come.html | |
| Type of Website | Institutional website | |
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