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Think & Link
How are organisms in this ecosystem connected?
READ a clue question and then FIND and CLICK on the organism. When you have found them all, explore more connections!
This coral reef is teeming with life! Let’s take a closer look.
I just spotted a snake-like fish that lurks among the coral. Can you find it?
You found it!
The moray eel is one of the top predators in the coral reef. Its mouth is full of pointed teeth adapted for crushing prey.
Which spiny crustacean provides a meal for the moray eel?
That's right!
The spiny lobster, unlike American lobsters, lacks big claws. To defend itself, it whips around its thorny antennae.
Which squirmy little creatures does it eat?
Correct!
Millions of polychaete worms swarm the reefs to search for food. They eat dead coral polyps, mucus, and the remains of a creature that looks like a spiny plant.
Can you spot the spiny creature?
Yup, that’s it!
The crown-of-thorns starfish munches on live coral by pressing its stomach over the polyps and digesting them. These predators can kill vast areas of corals.
Can you find one of these corals?
You found it!
The bulk of a coral reef is made up of skeletons of dead animals called coral polyps. Live polyps, like the ones on this elkhorn coral, live at the top layer and help build the reef. They get most of their energy from the algae that live with them. They are also carnivorous. They catch and eat animals.
Can you find the microscopic organisms that polyps consume?
Good job!
Coral polyps eat plankton, microscopic organisms that drift with ocean currents. Plankton include algae, tiny shrimp-like creatures, simple one-celled animals, and the eggs and larvae of bigger animals like crabs and lobsters.
Congratulations!
You found some of the many connections in the colorful coral reef.
This coral reef is teeming with life! Let’s take a closer look.
I just spotted a snake-like fish that lurks among the coral. Can you find it?
Image Credits:
Wave pattern, created by Dmitry Kovalev from the Noun Project; Luke's photo, courtesy of Luke; Illustrations, AMNH / Sean Murtha.