Coral Reef Ocean Floor Underwater Plants

They are a deep water coral that make their homes in caves and other dark underwater spaces.

Coral reef ocean floor underwater plants.

With its extensive reef tract florida keys national marine sanctuary protects more than 50 species of coral including the federally protected staghorn and elkhorn corals. The benthic assemblage is composed of other algal species e g filamentous and foliose functional groups articulated corallines and sessile organisms along the ocean bottom. But coral reefs only occupy less than one tenth of one percent of the ocean floor. Encrusting coralline algae directly and often extensively cover geologic substrate.

Each individual coral is called a polyp and the reef grows as. Usually you will find sea weed in the depth between 8 m to 40 m but there are some species that could be found in the depth of 250 m. The coral species that build reefs are known as hermatypic or hard corals. Prostrate kelps lie near and along the sea floor e g laminaria.

Most corals contain algae called zooxanthellae pronounced zo uh zan thuh lay which are plant like organisms. Easy acrylic painting lesson by angela anderson. Coral reefs are amazing habitats. Reefs in danger corals may look like rocks or plants but they are actually animals in the same family as jellyfish and anemones.

The national park service has ten parks with coral reefs. Offering vibrant colors and the greatest biodiversity of any marine ecosystem on the planet. Some coral reefs are so large they are even visible from outer space. Residing within the coral s tissues the microscopic algae are well protected and make use of the coral s metabolic waste products for photosynthesis the process by which plants make their own food.

You can find sea weed all around the world and up to now there is no known poisoned sea weed. They get the energy they need and their bright orange or yellow color by feeding on zooplankton. Seagrass is a rooted plant that requires a lot of light to thrive along the shallow waters of our world s coastlines. Sea weed is the plants in the coral reef that is edible to eat.

Many people consume it as delicacy such as nori. There are many common types of sea grass including manatee grass turtle grass and shoal grass all of which are varieties of a land plant that has evolved over the years in order to survive in salt water.