User:Mattisse/sandblox




 * The vast majority of the information in this article is not controversial and is considered general knowledge


 * http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ImageUse/
 * http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/
 * Ruiz v. Estelle google

 Oculina varicosa, also known as ivory tree coral is a slow growing species of cold-water coral which grows in the deep waters of the continental shelf edge along Florida's central east coast. It forms huge thickets that are idea spawning grounds for fish and also provides a biodiverse environment for macro invertebrates and reef-dwelling species.
 * my reply to Joopercoopers
 * http://www.springerlink.com/content/t24211758q662808/	Spatial Epidemiology of Caribbean Yellow Band Syndrome in Montastrea spp. Coral in the Eastern Yucatan, Mexico]
 * Yellow band in the Caribbean
 * Yellow blotch - NOAA
 * yellow botch - google

Growth
Oculina varicosa grows delicate branch-like stems that form thick clusters that provided high biodiversity and  spawning sites for many species of  fish, including economically important species such grouper, red snapper  gag and scamp. This coral lives in deepwater colonies that may grow  several meters in diameter and form a  thicket–like habitat. Some deepwater Oculina reefs are believed to be at least 1,526 years old.

Habitat
Oculina varicosa tends to live on limestone pinnacles in water that is 50 m or more in depth. They are white in color at these depths because they depend on free swimming food, lacking zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae that provide shallow water corals with nutrition and color. Oculina reefs typically occur in rising regions on the continential shelf edge. Scientific studies have shown a very high diversity of invertebrates, with hundreds of species represented in the interstices of Oculina coral.