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coral reef

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coral reef

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Also known as coral island, atoll, coral atoll, coral reefs

ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral

AI overview

A coral reef is a ridge of rock in the sea that forms when tiny coral organisms grow and leave behind their hard skeletons, which build up over time. These underwater structures are important because they create habitats where many fish and other sea creatures live and depend on for survival.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

12,527 papers

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~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Biodiversity in a coral reef

A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “coral reef” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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