Patterns in Nature: Coral

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:34:36

coral-mushroom-henry_1385_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Mushroom Coral

Photograph by Wolcott Henry

Reminiscent of the underside of a mushroom cap, this coral is common in the western Pacific Ocean. Mushroom coral (Fungia scutaria) is formed from a single polyp, instead of a colony of polyps.

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:36:19

coral-star-perry_1389_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Star Coral

Photograph by Heather Perry

Star coral (Montastrea cavernosa) polyps open in search of food near Little Cayman Island.

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:38:14

coral-tukangbesi-laman_1390_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Coral Close View

Photograph by Tim Laman

Coral reefs teem with life, covering less than one percent of the ocean floor, but supporting about 25 percent of all marine creatures. Indonesia is home to the highest marine diversity on Earth, including this coral photographed near the Tukangbesi archipelago in Indonesia.

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:38:27

coral-gorgonian-laman_1383_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Camouflage

Photograph by Tim Laman

A majid crab (Xenocarcinus depressus) disappears among the vivid red of gorgonian coral in Palau.

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:40:29

coral-polyps-henry_1387_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Coral Tentacles

Photograph by Wolcott Henry

Though corals get most of their food from the byproducts of zooxanthellae algae's photosynthesis, they also have barbed, venomous tentacles they can stick out, usually at night, to grab zooplankton and even small fish.

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:41:37

coral-soft-henry_1388_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Rainbow of Soft Corals

Photograph by Wolcott Henry

A palette of soft corals grows along a reef near Fiji. Unlike hard corals, soft corals have no rigid outer skeletons—the building blocks of coral reefs.

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:41:57

coral-fans-perry_1382_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Sea Fan Close-Up

Photograph by Heather Perry

Similar to all corals, sea fans, such as this one in the Turks and Caicos Islands, are made up of tiny animals called polyps. When stressed by such things as temperature change or pollution, coral polyps will evict their colorful algae boarders, which can lead to coral bleaching and death.

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:42:11

coral-branches-perry_1381_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Branching Coral

Photograph by Heather Perry, National Geographic

Rigid coral branches present the illusion of fluid movement in a turquoise sea near the Turks and Caicos Islands.

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:42:32

coral-mexico-sutherland_1384_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Coral Topography

Photograph by Paul Sutherland

A close-up reveals the subtle valleys and ridges of a single coral off of the coast of Mexico.

雪儿 · 发表于: 2011-7-13 12:42:48

coral-orange-henry_1386_600x450.jpg 保存到相册

Get Wallpaper

Soft Coral

Photograph by Wolcott Henry

Orange pulpy soft coral vacillates in the western Pacific Ocean. Both hard and soft corals have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae algae, which live in coral and give it its color.

帐号		自动登录	找回密码
密码			免费注册

[其他] Patterns in Nature: Coral

相关帖子 » 标签

浏览过的版块