Corals are feeding monsters in the sea, if you look close enough Most people think of corals as pretty rock-like animals, but they are voracious predators. Using tentacles, they capture small creatures which swim by. Some of these animals seem to be aware of the corals and have escape behaviors that allow them to survive contacts with coral tentacles. This all happens at a near-microscopic level and could only be studied using the computer and electronic capabilities and extended bottom time made possible by Aquarius . The health of corals is directly related to how they feed, and since more and more corals are dying, understanding their feeding biology is the first step to understanding possible causes of death.
Pollution changes the quality and quantity of food available to corals.
Water movement affects coral feeding because currents bring plankton into contact with the corals. Without Aquarius , the secrets of coral feeding would remain undiscovered.