Black Corals - The Hindu - 29/11/22

Context:
Recently, some researchers have discovered five new species of Black Corals living as deep as 2,500 feet (762 metres) below the surface in the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea off the coast of Australia.
Relevance:
GS3 - Conservation
About:
Black Corals:-
Black corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) can be found growing both in shallow waters and down to depths of over 26,000 feet (8,000 metres), and some individual corals can live for over 4,000 years.
However, the taxonomy of black corals is poorly known compared to many other anthozoan groups

Coral Reefs:-
-Corals are marine invertebrates or animals which do not possess a spine. In scientific classification, corals fall under the phylum Cnidaria and the class Anthozoa.
-Coral is made up of genetically identical organisms called polyps. These polyps have microscopic algae called zooxanthellae living within their tissues.

There are two types of corals: 1. Hard corals 2. Soft corals

Significance:
They support over 25% of marine biodiversity even though they take up only 1% of the seafloor.
The marine life supported by reefs further fuels global fishing industries.