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Coral Reefs Down Deep (article from National Geographic) (1 Viewer)

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The glories of coral reefs,it turns out,are not confined to shallow tropical seas.In recent years marine biologits have discovered extensive deepwater corals,some as far down as 6,500 feet,in the North Atlantic,from Norway south to the Azores.

Unlike tropical coral polips,which have algae in their tissues that need sunlight for photosynthesis,these polys are filter feeders,trapping whatever goes by.Like tropical reefs,these deepwater communities are magnets for marine life,and scientists have identified nearly 900 species that inhabit them.

Some of the deep beds were discovered when fisherman reported pieces of coral in their trawl nets.To protec the reef,Norway has banned trawling on five reef in its waters,including the 8,600 years old Sula Reef,home to Paragorgia arborea and Anthothela grandiflora.

The ban benefits fisheries in the long run because trawling destroys the kindergarten of the fish,says Andre Frewald of Germany's University of Erlangen.
 
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