Coral is an animal, so it forms itself. There are soft corals, which are essentially just the animal's tissue, soft corals that have a framework of calcium spicules (spines) inside their bodies, and corals that take calcium, magnesium, and carbon dioxide from the seawater and use these to make a stony skeleton with just a thin layer of tissue on the outside.
When the coral (animal) dies, it leaves any skeleton it makes behind to make up the "rock" portion of the reef on which other animals will live.
http://www.oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/corals/coral01_intro.html
http://www.oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/corals/coral03_growth.html
2007-12-03 16:32:16
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answer #1
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answered by copperhead 7
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the fast answer is that our touch damages the corals and if sufficient harm is completed it kills the coral. the main obtrusive harm is actual, as many corals are very mushy and harm certainly. even if if that is a huge section that breaks off or if the small partitions that encompass the coral polyps are broken/broken, something that isn't additionally be seen on your eye, the top consequence is an identical....rigidity on the coral that opens the door for infections, parasites, algae develop, and so forth. much less obtrusive yet probably greater unfavourable are the oils on our dermis that get left at the back of and harm the sleek coral polyps. lower back, those deposits rigidity the coral and open the door for all varieties of undesirable issues to take carry. on the different fringe of the coin, there is likewise the aptitude so which you would be able to get stung. i've got not tried myself and have not have been given any plans to attain this, yet I understand that hearth coral will produce a touch annoying rash. even if if the foremost reason for not touching corals remains their protection and renovation, not yours. So please seem yet do not touch.
2016-12-17 06:28:10
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answer #2
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answered by ? 4
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When corals are mentioned, most people immediately think about clear, warm tropical seas and fish-filled reefs. In fact, the stony, shallow-water corals—the kind that build reefs—are only one type of coral. There are also soft corals and deep water corals that live in dark cold waters.
Almost all corals are colonial organisms. This means that they are composed of hundreds to hundreds of thousands of individual animals, called polyps (Barnes, R.D., 1987; Lalli and Parsons, 1995). Each polyp has a stomach that opens at only one end. This opening, called the mouth, is surrounded by a circle of tentacles. The polyp uses these tentacles for defense, to capture small animals for food, and to clear away debris. Food enters the stomach through the mouth. After the food is consumed, waste products are expelled through the same opening (Barnes, R.D., 1987; Levinton, 1995).
Nematocysts are special stinging cells used by coral polyps to capture food. Click the image for a diagram of a nematocyst cell’s anatomy and how it works.
Most corals feed at night (Barnes, 1987). To capture their food, corals use stinging cells called nematocysts. These cells are located in the coral polyp’s tentacles and outer tissues. If you’ve ever been “stung” by a jellyfish, you’ve encountered nematocysts.
Nematocysts are capable of delivering powerful, often lethal, toxins, and are essential in capturing prey (Barnes, R.D., 1987). A coral's prey ranges in size from nearly microscopic animals called zooplankton to small fish, depending on the size of the coral polyps. In addition to capturing zooplankton and larger animals with their tentacles, many corals also collect fine organic particles in mucous film and strands, which they then draw into their mouths (Barnes and Hughes, 1999).
2007-12-03 16:35:04
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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A coral reef is gradually formed by the deposit of coral skeletons, Coral is the calcareous skeleton secreted in or by tissues of various marine coelenterates, deposited in many forms and colors.
2007-12-03 16:32:23
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answer #4
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answered by remoserjr107 7
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whoa!
i actually didnt know how coral was formed until today..........
thanks to your question,I got answers (strange,isnt it)
have a star
2007-12-03 17:22:45
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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