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| | | How Do Stony Corals Grow? |
Maintained by NOAA
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| | How Do Stony Corals Grow? | | | | Most stony corals have very small polyps, averaging 1 to 3 millimeters in diameter, but entire colonies can grow very large and weigh several tons. As they grow, these reefs provide structural habitats for hundreds to thousands of different vertebrate and invertebrate species. The skeletons of stony corals are secreted by the lower portion of the polyp. This process produces a cup, or calyx, in which the polyp sits. The walls surrounding the cup are called the theca, and the floor is called the basal plate. Periodically, a polyp will lift off its base and secrete a new basal plate above the old one, creating a small chamber in the skeleton. While the colony is alive, CaCO3 is deposited, adding partitions and elevating the coral. Coral species number in the thousands, and stony corals take on several characteristic forms. Reefs form when polyps secrete skeletons of calcium carbonate | | | | |
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| IMO: IMO reaffirms commitment to sustainable maritime development at Rio+20
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| | The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting sustainable maritime development, during a side-event organized by IMO on 20 June at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Presenting his vision at the panel discussion on “Sustainable Maritime Development - Contribution of Maritime Transport to Green Growth and Inclusive Development”, IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu said that the promotion of sustainable shipping and sustainable maritime development would be one of the major priorities of his tenure as IMO Secretary-General. | |
Read more at http://www.imo.org/Media ... vent.aspx.
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