Consequently, most corals depend on sunlight and grow in clear and shallow water, typically at depths shallower than 60 m (200 ft). However, they obtain most of their nutrients from photosynthetic unicellular algae called zooxanthellae. Coral - Physiological DifferencesĬorals can catch small fish and animals such as plankton using stinging cells on their tentacles. They are radially symmetrical with tentacles surrounding a central mouth, the only opening to the stomach or coelenteron, through which both food is ingested and waste expelled. Polyps are usually a few millimeters in diameter, and are formed by a layer of outer epithelium and inner jellylike tissue known as the mesoglea. The polyps are multicellular organisms that feed on a variety of small organisms, from microscopic plankton to small fish. While a coral head appears to be a single organism, it is actually a head of many individual, yet genetically identical, polyps. Instead most rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes, and the shapes of their bodies are adapted to maximize the efficiency of the water flow. Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems. Coral vs Sponge - Anatomical Differences Anatomy of sponges
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