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Into the Intimacy of Corals, Builders of the Sea

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Corals and Reefs

Part of the book series: Coral Reefs of the World ((CORW,volume 16))

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Abstract

Belonging to the very diverse cnidarian phylum, reef-building and non-reef-building scleractinian corals have an astonishing biology to respond to the physico-chemical constraints of marine coastal life. First are presented the relationship within the cnidarian and within the scleractinians. The world-wide distribution of reef-building scleractinian is also discussed. Second, the scleractinian morphology and anatomy are presented through the sexual and asexual reproductions, and the skeleton attributes of individuals. Coral colonies are also evoked through their morphology, the arrangement of their corallites and their phenotypic plasticity. Third, the symbiotic association between scleractinarians and photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae) is deemed. Fourth, the major role plays by the scleractinians to global carbonate production and the reef building is presented through a brief description of the principles of biomineralisation. The chapter ends with a brief description of the two major modes of nutrition used by scleractinians, including autotrophy via symbiosis and heterotrophy with prey capture.

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  1. Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CEREGE, Marseille, France

    Bertrand Martin-Garin & Lucien F. Montaggioni

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Martin-Garin, B., Montaggioni, L.F. (2023). Into the Intimacy of Corals, Builders of the Sea. In: Corals and Reefs . Coral Reefs of the World, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16887-1_2

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