CoralGrade 5 Unit 1

Topics to be Covered…

• What is coral?• How is coral classified?

• Coral biology• Coral identification• Coral conservation

What is reef coral?Animal, plant, or rock?

• Animals need to get food• Plants make their own food

• Rocks don’t need food

Corals belong to the phylum Cnidaria

Medusa or polyp body forms as adults

Stinging cells called nematocysts

Only one body cavity with a single opening

Examples of Cnidarians

Sea Anemones Jellyfish are cnidarians too!

Coral

Is it an animal?

Reef coral is made of many small individual animals called polyps.

What’s a polyp?

• The basic body form of a coral animal

• Structure like a sac with two walls of cells

• The open end bears the mouth, which is surrounded by tentacles

mouth/anustentacle

body stalk

epidermis

mesoglea

gastrodermisgastrovascular

cavity

Coral as PredatorsCoral must eat - it’s a consumer!

Nematocysts are used to sting, catch, and kill prey

Stinging cells also protect

Coral Reproduction:

Budding

Coral Reproduction:

Broadcast Spawning

Check out this video of broadcast spawning!

Is it a plant?

• Polyps have symbiotic algae, called zooxanthellae living in their cells

• Zooxanthellae make food for the polyp through photosynthesis

It has a plant living inside it!

What are zooxanthellae?

• Tiny plant cells that live within coral polyps

• Provide the coral with food resulting from photosynthesis

• In turn, the coral provides protection and access to light for the zooxanthellae

Symbiosis:coral & zooxanthellae

• symbiosis: a close relationship between two organisms usually based on food

• If the zooxanthellae feeds the coral, what does the zooxanthellae get out of the relationship?

Is it a rock?It’s a type of rock!

Coral polyps make a stony structure out of calcium carbonate in which they live

Now you try• Draw a coral on your activity guide

– Include a polyp and zooxanthellae

• Label mouth, stomach, tentacles

• Draw another one next to it

• How do you think they communicate?

Common Hawaiian Coral

Rice Coral

Antler Coral

Cauliflower Coral

Lobe Coral

1

Finger coral

More Hawaiian Coral

Mushroom Coral

Black Coral

Table Coral

porites lobata

Good GuessPut the correct names with the pictures of the coral

Antler Coral

Rice Coral

Finger Coral

Lobe Coral

Cauliflower Coral porites lobata

Antler Coral

Rice Coral

Finger Coral

Lobe Coral

Cauliflower Coral

Good GuessPut the correct names with the pictures of the coral

Put the correct names with the pictures of the coral

Rice Coral

Finger Coral

Lobe Coral

Cauliflower Coral

Antler Coral

Good Guess

Good GuessPut the correct names with the pictures of the coral

Finger Coral

Lobe Coral

Cauliflower Coral

Antler CoralRice Coral

Good GuessPut the correct names with the pictures of the coral

Lobe Coral

Cauliflower Coral

Antler CoralRice Coral

Finger Coral

Good GuessPut the correct names with the pictures of the coral

Cauliflower Coral

Antler CoralRice Coral

Finger CoralLobe Coral

Good GuessPut the correct names with the pictures of the coral

Antler CoralRice Coral

Finger CoralLobe Coral

Cauliflower Coral

Coral is in dangerOcean water is getting warmer

When water gets too warm, zooxanthellae leave the coral tissue

When zooxanthellae leave, corals lose their color AND food supply

CoralBleachin

g

Coral is in danger:Human Impacts on Coral

• Pollution

• Tourism

• Aquarium/Souvenir Trade

• Overfishing

Hawaiian coral needs your protection

• It has no voice• Speak up to educate others about our beautiful coral

The End