in which environmental stressors cause the zooxanthellae to temporarily flee the coral polyp. “Until now, much research on these algae attempted to compare apples to apples, but we now know that ...

Eventually the situation becomes dire for both organisms and, like a landlord who evicts rowdy roommates, coral polyps expel their ailing or dying zooxanthellae endosymbionts, leaving the coral ...

but most tropical corals only extend their polyps at night. Corals evolved to partner with zooxanthellae may have a competitive advantage over species with entirely independent feeding strategies.

Coral polyps would never achieve such engineering marvels alone. They rely on a microscopic partner: zooxanthellae algae. These tiny algae live inside the polyps’ tissues and use sunlight to ...

This relationship between the zooxanthellae and the coral polyps is an excellent example of a mutually beneficial relationship, also known as symbiosis. Although they occupy less than 0.1% of the ...

Wouldn’t it be great to have food constantly delivered to your doorstep? If you look closely at these coral polyps, you can also see zooxanthellae, single-celled algae, doing exactly that – providing ...

Coral are a complex mix of animal and plant life. The small animals that make up the coral are related to jellyfish and anemones and are called polyps. The microscopic forms of plants called algae ...

The secret is colorful, microscopic algae called “zooxanthellae.” These little buddies have a symbiotic relationship with the coral polyps: The corals provide a safe environment while the ...

It can grow to about six feet (or two meters) in size and is hard to miss. Coral polyps form a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, a kind of algae, that lives within them. That’s where they get ...

Some polyps use their tentacles packed with ... that live within most reef-building coral. These are called zooxanthellae. Coral and zooxanthellae have a mutualistic relationship, meaning both ...