Plant, Animal or Rock? Coral must catch and eat other organisms for food Corals can eat food and release waste Corals have digestive tissue Corals cannot photosynthesize Corals do not have stems, roots or leaves

What You Should Know About Corals They are animals Plants live inside of them Two kinds Soft corals Hard corals (reef builders) They are made of tiny polyps (which look like upside-down jellyfish)

Hard Corals Polyps build hard limestone cups around their bases The cups cement together to make a coral colony Reefs are made of hard coral colonies next to and on top of each other

Soft Corals Lack the limestone skeleton & therefore do not build reefs Have soft bodies made up of a large number of polyps connected by fleshy tissue Sway as the water moves

Draw a coral polyp & label anything with a * next to it! Coral Anatomy * * * * Draw a coral polyp & label anything with a * next to it! * FYI Hard corals - 6 (or multiples of 6) smooth tentacles Soft corals – 8 feathery tentacles * *

Coral Anatomy Polyp – A single coral Animal Mouth - Where food goes in and waste comes out Tentacles – Surround the mouth, capture food, clear away debris Nematocysts – Stinging cells found in the epidermis Stomach – Where food is digested Calyx – Protective cup that the polyp to sit in Basal Plate – The base of the calyx Theca – Walls surrounding the calyx

Zooxanthellae? A single-celled, photosynthetic algae that lives in the tissues of hard corals.

Zooxanthellae Provides: Symbiosis Zooxanthellae Provides: Glucose & Oxygen (which corals use to make proteins, fats & carbs) Waste removal Color Coral Polyps Provide: A safe home Carbon Dioxide & nutrients from their waste Mutualistic Relationship: both benefit