Aspergillosis -Fungal decease that affects corals, mainly sea fans.

Atoll -Coral reef that looks like a ring of scattered islands surrounding a lagoon from the surface. This kind of reef rest on the summit of a submerged volcano.

Bank/Barrier Reef -A Caribbean offshore reef that grows on a wave cut surface. This kind of coral reef has a shallower lagoon and is much closer to shore then a barrier reef. This reef mainly subdivides into two sections: reef crest and fore reef, each with its own distinctive coral species.

Barrier Reef -Coral reef that is separated from the shoreline by a lagoon.

Biodiversity -Term used to refer to the diversity or number of different species in an ecosystem. Coral reefs have much biodiversity.

Cnidarians -The phylum that includes corals, sea anemones, jellyfish, and hydras. Common characteristic is stinging cells, which they are named for.

Communalism -A type of symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits from the relationship and the other (host) is neither harmed nor benefited.

Coral Bleaching - Effect that corals have when the symbiotic zooxanthellae leave the coral polyps because of poor light penetration threw the water. Common reasons are excessive silt deposits or pollution in the water.

Coral Polyps -A coral reef is made up of the shells of single, small marine animals called coral polyps. When coral polyps grow into a group they are called a coral colony. As polyps die, new ones grow on top of the old empty shells. Over time, the collection of shells left behind by dead coral polyps and dead coral colonies build large groups of rocklike structure called a coral reef. Although the entire coral reef looks like a lot of large rocks, the top surfaces are actually covered with new coral colonies that are very much alive.

Coral Reef -Reefs are concretions produced by living organisms. Some reefs are formed by calcareous algae (in South America and the Cap Verde Islands), others by mollusks (fused vermetid shells in Florida) or polychaeta (serpulid worms), but most of the reefs in the world are composed of hermatypic coral (cnidaria, especially scleractinozoa and hydroids) which contains microscopic symbiotic algae (zooxanthella). These complexes form the substrate on which the reef ecosystems are based. Coral reefs are solid, long-lasting structures.

Crown-of-thorns Sea Star -The crown-of-thorns sea star (Acanthaster planci), is a corallivorous (coral eating) echinoderm that ravages reefs. Many sea stars consume their prey by extruding their stomachs, digesting the organism's soft tissues, then sucking in the digested material.

Fringing Reef -Coral reef that runs along the shoreline and extends seaward. Lacks a lagoon.

Lagoon -Body of sheltered water separated from the open sea by a bank or a coral reef. The section between a shore and a barrier reef or inside a ring of islands composing an atoll. Also present in bank/barrier reefs.

Mutualism -A type of symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship. Great example is coral polyps and zooxanthellae.

Niche -The particular role of an individual species in a community, including where it lives, its behavior, and its place in the food chain.

Parasitism -A type of symbiotic relationship in which one species (parasite) benefits from the relationship and the other (host) is harmed.

Patch Reef -Term used for small reef formations within a lagoon. Usually unattached to any major reef structure.

Photosynthesis -Method that plant use to obtain energy from the sun. They convert water and carbon dioxide into sugar, starches and oxygen. Major organism that do this in reefs are zooxanthellae, phytoplankton, and other algae.

Phytoplankton -Microscopic algae suspended in the upper part of lakes and oceans where light can penetrate. They are photosynthetic.

pH -pH is the measure of whether an aqueous solution is acidic or basic. The greater the hydrogen ion concentration, the smaller the pH; when the pH is above 7, the solution is basic (alkaline), and when it is below 7, the solution is acidic.

Plankton- Any organism that cannot swim against ocean currents, drifters, that can range from tiny fish eggs to large jellyfish. Can be divided into phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Precious Corals - Pink, black, gold and corals that are not as dependent on the symbiotic zooxanthellae and can live deeper in the ocean. The common feature is that there are harvested and polished to make fine jewelry.

Symbiosis -Latin for “living together”. Two different species that live or interact together, in which a least one is dependent to some degree on the other. Communalism, parasitism, and mutualism are the three forms of symbiotic relationships.

White Plague II -The causative agent of plague type II has been identified as a gram negative rod-shaped bacterium in the genus Sphingomonas. Affected corals exhibit an abrupt line or band of white, exposed coral skeleton that separates living tissue from algal-colonized skeleton. A fine, but distinct narrow band of bleached tissue may exist between fully pigmented tissue and denuded skeleton. Tissue loss progresses at up to 2 cm per day and small colonies are killed in one to two days. Over 18 species of corals are susceptible, including massive, branching and plating species. White plague does not affect staghorn or elkhorn coral.

Zooplankton -Microscopic animals that are free swimming or suspended in lakes and oceans. Zooplankton feed on phytoplankton.

Zooxanthellae -A golden-brown algae, usually a dinoflagellate, that is symbiotic with various marine animals, especially cnidarians.