Possibly, these differences help explain why some corals are better zooplankton feeders than others. Corals feed on zooplankton, primarily at night. We are interested in evaluating how much zooplankton corals consume. These are some of the most common zooplankton types on reefs. They all exhibit marked behavioral differences which either increase or decrease their susceptibilty to capture after an encounter by corals.
Some corals harbor small algae cells in their tissues.
These algae cells are able to use sunlight to photosynthesize, similar to terrestrial plants. During the day, the corals look hard and rocklike. However, at night, these corals extend their tentacles and are able to capture tiny, microscopic animals in the water, called zooplankton. The zooplankton provide nutrients for coral growth that are not provided by the algal symbiont. Zooplankton capture by corals is what we are primarily interested in studying during our saturation mission.