Zooxanthellae

Inner cell layer of a polyp that houses zooxanthellae. Corals only have two major layers of tissue.

(Singular: canal) Canals located in the coenosarc that allow polyps to share nutrients and zooxanthellae.

A method that corals use to obtain zooxanthellae when corals retrieve zooxanthellae from the surrounding ocean waters.

When zooxanthellae are expelled from a coral’s tissues due to extreme changes in environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, salinity), causing the coral to appear white or “bleached.”

A method that corals use to obtain zooxanthellae when corals directly transfer zooxanthellae to their offspring.