Quote:
Originally Posted by parallaxicality
But coral also get energy from photosynthetic algae in their skeletons. If a form of coral evolved that drew all of its energy from such algae, could it not move out of the ocean?
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Coral polyps are tiny animals - carnivores. They need protein from Zooplankton as part of their diet to survive. I suppose it’s possible that a vegetarian species could derive a selection advantage as we continue to degrade the health of our oceans but it would take millions of years, at best. Coral are extremely fragile creatures and I personally think it would be unlikely for them to survive such a transition.