Deep-water coral

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/deep-water-coral

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What are deep-water corals and where do they live?Deep-water corals are colorful castles built by tiny animals in the dark ocean. They live below 2,000 meters, where it is very cold and there is no sunlight.
2. Why don’t deep-water corals need sunlight?They don’t have the algae that need light, so they can survive in the dark deep sea by catching food that drifts down from above.

Aphotic Zone: The portion of a lake or ocean where there is little or no sunlight.
Benthic: Relating to or occurring at the bottom of a body of water.
Ecosystem Engineers: Organisms that create, modify, or maintain habitats, significantly influencing the structure of ecosystems.