Coral Reefs

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to coral reefs, their structure, and development.

Coast

A broad term encompassing the shoreline and associated terrestrial and marine habitats and ecosystems.

Coastal Habitats

Some of the most productive ecosystems, strongly influenced by waves, tides, and weather.

Coral Reef

A wave-resistant, rock-like structure created by carbonate-secreting organisms, composed of organic debris of carbonate shells and skeletons.

Coral Polyp

The animal component of coral, belonging to the phylum Cnidaria.

Corallite

The exoskeleton formed by the coral polyp.

Zooxanthellae

Photosynthetic unicellular algae that share a mutualistic relationship with coral polyps, providing them with sugar and oxygen.

Coral Reef Environmental Requirements

Warm water (above 20˚C), tropical and subtropical latitudes, and nutrient-poor water.

Algal Ridge

The part of the coral reef that occurs on the windward side, enduring the pounding waves.

Buttress Zone

The reef slope extending down from the algal ridge.

Reef Terrace

Located landward of the algal ridge and lies at mean water level.

Fringing Reef

Limestone shorelines around islands or along continents and the earliest stage of reef development.

Barrier Reef

A reef that forms when a lagoon separates a fringing reef that from the shoreline due to land submergence and coral growth.

Atoll

A ring of islands formed from a reef surrounding a shallow lagoon, occurring when the land vanishes below the sea.