Rumassala has not been isolated in this regard. The Secretary of the Nature Conservation Group Prasanna Werakkody, whose institution is actively involved in the restoration of the reef, told the Daily News Weekender that these damaged reefs have the possibility of self restoration but the question is time. It could even take up to 50- 60 years. However, species such as Leptoporia, which has been at Rumassala, have picked up fast within the last two or three months, he stressed. They are creatures akin to sea anemones which have tentacles on top and a mouth in the middle.
Corals are two fold.
The normal occurrence is that these corals have a symbiotic relationship with an algae named Zooxanthellae. The algal species is microscopic and lives within the coral tissue. Algae are plants and they photosynthesize using Carbon Dioxide which is emitted from the corals following respiration. Most of the respiration of the coral is undertaken by the algae due to its symbiotic relationship. The phenomenon of bleaching takes place due to the inability of the algae to survive due to stress from the heat wave which rose by around six degrees centigrade from an average between 27 and 30 degrees.