Sea Anemones and Corals

Sea Anemones and Corals (Anthozoa)

For several centuries scientists have been unable to completely understand how coral reefs, among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, could live in crystal clear tropical waters where there appears to be too little food to support them. Recent studies by scientists from Australia and America have discovered that the key lies in the extremely rough surfaces that corals have.

These surfaces cause microscopic turbulence that breaks up the ‘boundary layer’ of still water that surround most submerged objects, this then allows the corals to access a far higher percentage of the dissolved nutrients than they would be able to otherwise. This also explains the fact that corals grow more quickly in rougher waters.