Scleractinians: Difference between revisions
From coraldigest
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==Classification== | ==Classification== | ||
===Kingdom:Animalia<ref name=Animals>Schwartz, Dr. Karlene V. "Animal Kingdom." AccessScience. McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Web. 14 April 2014. <ins>http://www.accessscience.com/content/animal-kingdom/035700</ins></ref>=== | ===Kingdom:Animalia<ref name=Animals>Schwartz, Dr. Karlene V. "Animal Kingdom." AccessScience. McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Web. 14 April 2014. <ins>http://www.accessscience.com/content/animal-kingdom/035700</ins></ref>=== | ||
The animal kingdom is characterized as eukaryotic, multicellular organisms that | The animal kingdom is characterized as eukaryotic, multicellular organisms that i) form from blastula embryos and ii) take food into their bodies. | ||
===Phylum: Cnidaria<ref name=Atoda>Atoda, Dr. Kenji and Pandolfi, Dr. John M. “Scleractinia.” AccessScience. McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <ins>http://www.accessscience.com/content/scleractinia/607500</ins></ref>=== | ===Phylum: Cnidaria<ref name=Atoda>Atoda, Dr. Kenji and Pandolfi, Dr. John M. “Scleractinia.” AccessScience. McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <ins>http://www.accessscience.com/content/scleractinia/607500</ins></ref>=== | ||
Revision as of 21:05, 14 April 2014
Scleractinian/Stony Corals
Stony Corals are also known as Hard Corals. They are considered the reef builders of the ecosystem because of the calcium carbonate skeleton they secrete, which distinguishes them from soft corals. We will discuss the classification, evolutionary history, skeleton and colony formation, behavior and environment of stony corals, and then discuss some particular examples common to St. John and the US Virgin Islands.
Classification
Kingdom:Animalia[1]
The animal kingdom is characterized as eukaryotic, multicellular organisms that i) form from blastula embryos and ii) take food into their bodies.
Phylum: Cnidaria[2]
Class:Anthozoa[2]
Evolutionary History
- first appeared in the mid-triassic period[3]
Skeleton and Colony Formation
Behavior
Reproduction
- Sexual: allows for spread of coral to new places
- Asexual: allows for growth of corals
- Budding
- Splitting
Feeding
Environment
- Stony Corals do well in tropical and subtropical areas which have warm and clear water
- Stony Corals have also been found in deep, dark water that is up to 6,500 feet deep
Examples
Grooved Brain Coral
Elkhorn Coral
Blushing Star Coral
Artichoke Coral
Orange Cup Coral
Fragile Saucer Coral
Class Photos from the US/British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean
Notes
- ↑ Schwartz, Dr. Karlene V. "Animal Kingdom." AccessScience. McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Web. 14 April 2014. http://www.accessscience.com/content/animal-kingdom/035700
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Atoda, Dr. Kenji and Pandolfi, Dr. John M. “Scleractinia.” AccessScience. McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. http://www.accessscience.com/content/scleractinia/607500
- ↑ MarineBio Conservation Society. (n.d.). Coral Reefs. Web. http://marinebio.org/oceans/coral-reefs.asp
- MarineBio Conservation Society. (n.d.). Coral Reefs. Web. http://marinebio.org/oceans/coral-reefs.asp
- Stanley, G. D. (1996). Paleobiology and biology of corals. Columbus, OH: Paleontological Society.
- Dubinsky, Z., & Stambler, N. (Eds.). (2011). Coral Reefs: An Ecosystem in Transition. London: Springer.
- National Ocean Service. (March 25,2008). Corals: How Do Corals Grow? What Forms Do They Take?. Web. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/corals/coral03_growth.html
- Sheppard, C. R., Davy, S. K., & Pilling, G. M. (2009). The Main Reef Builders and Space Occupiers. The Biology of Coral Reefs. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198566359.001.0001