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WHAT ARE CORALS, TYPES OF CORALS & MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM

• Publicado por emma sen 12 de abril de 2023 - Arquivado em Outros - #types of corals  - 6 visualizações

  Corals are called the invertebrate animals which belong to a large group of fascinating and colorful animals called Cnidaria. Each of the individual coral animals is called polyp and most of these live in the groups of thousands of genetically identical groups which further form a 'colony'. Corals are also further classified and there are two types of corals which are- Hard Corals and Soft Corals. There are also more than 800 known species of hard corals which are also called 'reef building' corals. There are a lot more details about corals and these two types of it. So if you also want to know more about it, then this article will help you to find it all.

   

  As you scroll down, you will find out complete details of what exactly are corals, what are their different types and what is the main difference between them. So just keep reading and check out all the information.

   

  What are Corals?

   

  Corals are the marine invertebrates of the class Anthozoa, Phylum Cnidaria and Subphylum Anthozoa. A coral 'group' is mainly a colony which consists of many genetically identical polyps. Each of these polyps are sac-like animals which are usually a few centimeters in height and just a few millimeters in diameter, have a set of tentacles which is surrounded by a central mouth opening and also each polyp of it secrets some exoskeleton near the base .  

   

  Now, over many generations, this colony further creates some skeleton characteristics of the species which can be measured up to several metres (in size). These individual colonies grow by the process of asexual reproduction of polyps and so you might be even surprised to know that corals also sexually breed by spawning, which means polyps belonging to the same species release some gametes overnight, often near a full moon. 

   

  Even though corals are closely represented by the characteristics of plants, they are often mistaken as some colourful rocks which are further classified as animals. Corals are classified under the class Anthozoa and the phylum Cnidaria, which actually makes the relatives of the anemones and jellyfish. 

   

  So corals are majorly separated and divided into two main categories or types of corals, which are-

   

  1. Hard Corals
  2. Soft Corals

   

  Now, there are a lot more details of these two types of Corals which you will find about in this article. So let's have a deeper look on what exactly are hard and soft corals and the difference between them.

   

  What are the types of corals?

   

  1. Hard Corals- Hard Corals are also known as Scleractinian or Sony Corals which produces a skeleton like structure which is made up of calcium carbonate. The polyps of these corals live inside their hard and rock-like skeleton where these corals retreat for complete protection. Each of the skeletons is made up of many individual polyps which live in a colony that represents the tiny sea anemones. 

   

  These corals are also called to be the building blocks of the coral reefs. This is because the dead skeletons of hard corals become the anchoring points for the new ones, which can be both hard and soft corals.

   

  Now, hard corals are also further classified into two groups or types of corals which are as follows-

   

  1. LPS- Large Polyp Stony Corals
  2. SPS- Small Polyp Stony Corals

   

  The LPS corals have larger and more prominent polyps, whereas SPS corals have smaller ones as compared to LPS. 

   

  Now, some common characteristics of hard corals are as follows-

   

  1. These corals deposit limestone, which is a hard calcium carbonate skeleton, and this is left behind when they die.

   

  1. The corals have a rigid structure where each of the polyp contains six tentacles or multiples of six. 

   

  1. Through algae’s photosynthesis, the symbiotic relationship with the zooxanthellae provides the coral energy.

  
  
  

  1. Soft Corals- This is second in the list of types of corals. Soft corals simply represent the plants, but just like the stony or hard corals, they are also a cluster of tiny and individual animals which are called polyps.

   

  Soft corals, also known as Alcyonacea are quite different from the hard corals as they do not produce hard limestone skeletons. Instead, they have soft bodies which just move with the currents of the ocean.

   

  Now, some common characteristics or traits of soft coral are as follows-

   

  1. Each polyp has 8 tentacles or in multiples of 8 of soft corals.

   

  1. The soft corals contain small calcareous scleritis inside their body instead of some external hard skeleton.

   

  1. The soft corals, particularly the deep sea soft corals, do not always have a symbiotic zooxanthellae.

  
  
  

  Main Difference between Hard Corals and Soft Corals

   

  So when we talk about the difference between hard corals and soft corals, it is majorly classified into 3 categories: appearance, defence mechanism and growth characteristics. Now, below mentioned are the details of the difference between these two types of corals-

   

  1. Appearance- 

   

  1. Hard Corals are known to have tentacles in the multiples of 6, whereas soft corals have the tentacles in the multiples of 8. 
  2. Hard corals represent rocks and look like it, while soft corals look like underwater plants.

   

  1. Growth Characteristics- 

   

  1. Hard corals mainly deposit the calcium carbonate skeletons which remain behind after they die and thus form the base of coral reefs. Whereas, soft corals have spiracles, which is also called the internal structural support.

   

  1. Defense Mechanism-

   

  1. Hard corals polyps can be retreated into their skeletons for complete protection but soft corals rely more on the chemical defence rather than their own defence. 

   

  Conclusion

   

  Corals are the marine invertebrates which belong to the kingdom of Animalia, phylum of Cnidaria and Subphylum of Anthozoa. There are many interesting facts about corals and so above provided are the complete details of all the things about them such as detailed info on corals, the types of corals , main difference between them and a lot more. So if you have missed out something or skipped some part, then you definitely should read the complete article as there is a lot to know about!