The very mention of coral reefs instantly conjures images of tropical seas, white sandy beaches and palm trees; you may have even heard of tropical coral reefs being referred to as the rainforests of the sea. Whilst all of this may be true, emerging evidence has highlighted that cold-water corals also support a vast array of life, and are found in many of the World’s oceans such as the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Indian and Pacific. Yet, as Sebastian Hennige of Heriot-Watt University explains, despite being less well known, these cold-water corals have a much larger distribution range than tropical corals, and have been found to be much more diverse.
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