[Music]
coral reefs they’re bright vivid colors
can be seen in tropical ocean waters
around the globe beyond their brilliant
appearance lies a hidden significance
coral are animals though they may look
like colorful plants coral are in fact
made up of tiny animals called polyps
these invertebrates can range from the
size of a pinhead
to a bit larger than a basketball each
polyp consists of a soft sack like body
topped by a mouth covered in stinging
tentacles to protect their soft bodies
and add support the polyps secrete
limestone skeletons or callicles corals
are mega builders polyp callicles
connect to one another creating a colony
that acts as a single organism as
colonies grow over hundreds and
thousands of years they join with other
colonies and become reefs that can grow
to hundreds of miles long the largest
coral reef is Australia’s Great Barrier
Reef which began growing about 20,000
years ago coral reefs are some of the
most diverse ecosystems on earth though
they cover less than 1% of the ocean
floor coral reefs are home to 25% of all
marine creatures it’s been estimated
that up to two million species inhabit
coral reefs rivaling the biodiversity of
the rainforest the reefs provide rich
habitat that helps protect young fish as
they grow
Koral are translucent coral reefs get
their rainbow of colors from algae or
zooxanthellae that live in their tissue
though corals use their tentacles to
capture some food most of their food
comes from the algae they house when
coral becomes stressed by pollution or
other factors they evict their algae
[Music]
coral bleaching results revealing corals
white skeletons coral provide a window
to the past as coral grow their
limestone skeletons form layers similar
to tree rings that vary in composition
and thickness based on ocean conditions
at the time with some coral reefs
growing for thousands or even millions
of years scientists can study these
layers to reveal what the Earth’s
climate may have been like in the
ancient past
unfortunately climate change is putting
corals future in danger along with the
millions of species that inhabit the
reefs and the half billion people that
rely on reef fish for food warming
waters result in prolonged coral
bleaching that killed coral reefs or
leave them vulnerable to other threats
without significant action on climate
change our oceans could lose many of
their colorful reefs by the end of the
century
[Music]
coral reefs they’re bright vivid colors
can be seen in tropical ocean waters
around the globe beyond their brilliant
appearance lies a hidden significance
coral are animals though they may look
like colorful plants coral are in fact
made up of tiny animals called polyps
these invertebrates can range from the
size of a pinhead
to a bit larger than a basketball each
polyp consists of a soft sack like body
topped by a mouth covered in stinging
tentacles to protect their soft bodies
and add support the polyps secrete
limestone skeletons or callicles corals
are mega builders polyp callicles
connect to one another creating a colony
that acts as a single organism as
colonies grow over hundreds and
thousands of years they join with other
colonies and become reefs that can grow
to hundreds of miles long the largest
coral reef is Australia’s Great Barrier
Reef which began growing about 20,000
years ago coral reefs are some of the
most diverse ecosystems on earth though
they cover less than 1% of the ocean
floor coral reefs are home to 25% of all
marine creatures it’s been estimated
that up to two million species inhabit
coral reefs rivaling the biodiversity of
the rainforest the reefs provide rich
habitat that helps protect young fish as
they grow
Koral are translucent coral reefs get
their rainbow of colors from algae or
zooxanthellae that live in their tissue
though corals use their tentacles to
capture some food most of their food
comes from the algae they house when
coral becomes stressed by pollution or
other factors they evict their algae
[Music]
coral bleaching results revealing corals
white skeletons coral provide a window
to the past as coral grow their
limestone skeletons form layers similar
to tree rings that vary in composition
and thickness based on ocean conditions
at the time with some coral reefs
growing for thousands or even millions
of years scientists can study these
layers to reveal what the Earth’s
climate may have been like in the
ancient past
unfortunately climate change is putting
corals future in danger along with the
millions of species that inhabit the
reefs and the half billion people that
rely on reef fish for food warming
waters result in prolonged coral
bleaching that killed coral reefs or
leave them vulnerable to other threats
without significant action on climate
change our oceans could lose many of
their colorful reefs by the end of the
century
[Music]
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