Where are coral reefs found? Coral reefs grow in seas with warm, clear, and fairly shallow waters. Such waters are most often found on eastern shores of continents, around small islands, and in open tropical seas. Reef-building corals need these conditions because tiny, single-celled plants live within the polyps. Without these tiny plants, called algae (zooxanthellae), corals do not make enough skeleton to build reefs. Algae need sunlight, so the water must be clear and shallow enough for light to reach the plants. The coral polyps, and the plants within them, help each other. The polyps provide wastes that act as food for the plants. The plants, in turn, make oxygen and food for the polyps. O fea e maua ai a'au amu? O a'au 'amu e ola i ogasami mafanafana, mama, ma papau. O nei ogasami e maua i gatai o itu sasae o konitineta, e faataamilomilo i taamai nu;u, faapea foi sami mafanafana. O tamai la'au nini'i o se tasi o ituaiga limu e nonofo faatasi ma polipo i totonu o le tino o le 'amu. O lenei ituaiga limu e galulue faatasi ma le polipo i le fauina o le 'amu ae maise le a'au, e tatau ona ola i ogasami mama ma papau. O ia tamai limu (zoozanthellae) e fesoasoani i le fauina o 'amu. O laau uma e i ai limu e tatau lava ona mauaina le susulu o le la ina ia mafai ona ola lelei ma faia ai ana mea'ai. E aoga tele le nonofo o polipo po'o meaola nini'i ia e fauina le 'amu fatasi ma limu nini'i nei e fesoasoani i ai. O limu foi nei e ala ai ona lanu ese'ese le 'amu. O polipo e maua ai mea'ai a le limu e faia mea'ai a le polipo ma maua mai ai le okesene e ola ai nei meaola. 'Auhea a loa'a ana i na ko 'aka? Ulu na ko'aka i na kai mehana, moakaka, a ano papa'u. Ua loa'a keia mau moana ma na 'ao'ao hikina o na 'aina, a puni o na mokupuni, a i moana. Pono na ko'a kukulu ko'aka e noho ma keia ano no ka mea noho na meakanu lumihaiki ho'okahi ma laila. Ina, 'a'ole kei mau meakanu kapa ia "algae," 'a'ole kukulu na ko'a i na iwi he lawa. He mea pono ka la no ka "algae" no laila, pono ke kai e noho moakaka a papa'u no ke la't 'ana o na meakanu i ke ao. Kokua na 'apana ko'a i kekahi i kekahi. 'O ka hanalepo o na 'uku ko'ako'a ka mea'ai no na meakanu. A hanai ea na meakanu no na 'uku ko'ako'a.

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