 Coral animals take advantage of both forms of nutrition by hosting plant-like algae (protists) in their tissues. The majority of the coral's energy needs are provided by tiny algae called zooxanthellae, which live inside the coral and produce food using the sun's energy from carbon dioxide and water. The protist algae and the coral animals live together in a symbiotic relationship. This partnership allows corals to live in nutrient-poor environments where sunlight is a plentiful source of energy and the supply of planktonic food is limited. Corals also use their tentacles to capture tiny marine animals called plankton. At night, the corals' tentacles extend from their bodies and wave in the water, collecting plankton to eat. Corals are invertebrates; like shellfish, they have no spinal column or internal bones. Coral colonies are composed of many tiny cup-shaped animals called polyps. Millions of polyps working together in a cooperative colony generation after generation create the limestone skeletons that form the framework of the beautiful reef.
Coral animals take advantage of both forms of nutrition by hosting plant-like algae (protists) in their tissues. The majority of the coral's energy needs are provided by tiny algae called zooxanthellae, which live inside the coral and produce food using the sun's energy from carbon dioxide and water. The protist algae and the coral animals live together in a symbiotic relationship. This partnership allows corals to live in nutrient-poor environments where sunlight is a plentiful source of energy and the supply of planktonic food is limited. Corals also use their tentacles to capture tiny marine animals called plankton. At night, the corals' tentacles extend from their bodies and wave in the water, collecting plankton to eat. Corals are invertebrates; like shellfish, they have no spinal column or internal bones. Coral colonies are composed of many tiny cup-shaped animals called polyps. Millions of polyps working together in a cooperative colony generation after generation create the limestone skeletons that form the framework of the beautiful reef.Price: $45.25
 
 
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