Beneath the soft bodies of scleractinian, or stony corals, polyps secrete a calcium carbonate skeleton, and it is this skeleton that becomes the foundation of coral reef ecosystems. Coral colonies ...

This grows by up to 10 centimetres a year and the coral develops into various ... up the complex three-dimensional structure of a reef. This habitable architecture is more than just colourful ...

There are also 400 types of coral, each one forming a neighborhood ... and spiritual beliefs. The reef is not mere scenery for indigenous communities—it is part of their identity and history.

The Coral Triangle is a marine region that spans those parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste with at least 500 species of reef-building ...

And yet, with ocean temperatures rising, coral reefs are disappearing at an alarming rate. Learn more about the Coral Reef Rescue Initiative, a partnership to safeguard globally significant coral ...

In large numbers, crown-of-thorns starfish can mow down wide swaths of coral reef. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reports that Acropora species are in the top three ...

With too few tritons on the reef, crown-of-thorns starfish populations can explode, jeopardizing the living coral that makes up reefs. Covered with long, venomous spikes, the crown-of-thorns ...

He captured the Great Barrier Reef during its latest—and most devastating—mass die-off, and documented how coral off the coast of Belize had partially recovered thanks to a no-fishing zone.

In the coastal seas episode, we see the devastating scenes of coral bleaching – how whole reef ecosystems which once teamed with life, are now dead, white and derelict. But what exactly is coral ...

Corals are found in all of Earth's oceans, from tropical to freezing temperatures, however they only build coral reefs in warm, shallow seas in the tropics. Among the biggest and best-known are the ...

Read about different competitive relationships on the reef. The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops ... swim in pairs near a particular clump of coral. If threatened, they expertly wedge themselves ...