Class Anthozoa includes coral polyps and sea anemones. They are called "flower animals" due to their flower-like appearance, with tentacles radiating from their bodies like petals and often being brightly colored. Coral polyps secrete cups of limestone for protection, which grow together over large colonies to form coral stone reefs that harbor tremendous biodiversity, comparable to tropical rainforests. Coral polyps photosynthesize through symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae and require warm, clear, shallow water for the algae to survive, providing 90% of the corals' diet.

1. Class Anthozoa - The “flower animals”Class Anthozoa - The “flower animals”
Coral Polyps & Sea AnemonesCoral Polyps & Sea Anemones

2. Class: AnthozoaClass: Anthozoa
• Anemone means flower.Anemone means flower.
• These animals are called flower animalsThese animals are called flower animals
because of their flower-like appearance.because of their flower-like appearance.

3. Class: AnthozoaClass: Anthozoa
• Their tentacles radiate from the top of theirTheir tentacles radiate from the top of their
body like flower petals, and they are oftenbody like flower petals, and they are often
brilliantly colored.brilliantly colored.

5. Coral StructureCoral Structure
• Coral polyps secrete
cups of calcium
carbonate (limestone)
for protection.
• Since polyps live in
large colonies, their
calcium carbonate
cups tend to grow
together in large
masses forming coral
stone.

8. Coral StructureCoral Structure
• They are comparable to tropical rainforests
in that they harbor a tremendous amount of
biodiversity.

9. This photograph shows a colony of coral polyps. Look closely
and you will notice that each polyp has a tube-shaped body with
tentacles surrounding the mouth at the top. In this photograph
the polyps have their mouths so tightly closed that you can’t see
them. The pink tissue between the polyps connects them all
together allowing nutrients collected by one polyp to be shared
with others in the colony.

10. There are manyThere are many
species ofspecies of
clownfish andclownfish and
all establish aall establish a
mutualisticmutualistic
relationship withrelationship with
sea anemones.sea anemones.

11. FeedingFeeding
• How do most corals and anemones get
their food?
• Anemones use the cnidocytes in their
tentacles to catch plankton or small
organisms and fish.

12. FeedingFeeding
• Corals also use their tentacles but only at
night and it only makes up 10% of their
diet.

13. FeedingFeeding
• Corals depend on symbiotic algae living in
their body to photosynthesize and produce
food for coral (90% of diet).
• Algae is called Zooxanthellae

14. FeedingFeeding

15. FeedingFeeding
• Because zooxanthellae have to
photosynthesize …… corals can only be
found in:
• Requirements for Coral Reefs
• 1. Warm water
• 2. clear water
• 3. Shallow water