Coral reefs are made by thousands of tiny animals – polyps – secreting calcium carbonate to make strong, permeable structures that slow waves to protect shores, provide habitat for more than 25% of marine life, and become beautiful natural wonders. Most of their food comes from the vibrantly colored photosynthetic algae – zooxanthellae – living within them. BUT it is a fragile balance, this symbiotic relationship. Rising sea temperatures, shifts in ocean pH, and bad water quality are huge threats to their livelihoods. They depend on clean water, just-so temperatures, and an abundance of minerals available to build their exoskeletons.
