Life SciencesScience Insider
Have you heard about the world’s largest coral reef system?
Vidunenahawula Website (National Institute of Fundamental Studies)
You may know that the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system. So what is a coral reef? 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. These polyps survive due to their relationship with the algae that live alongside them. The algae absorb light from the sun and subsequently feed the coral and the algae also give the corals their bright colours.
