Ecology of the Red Coral (Corallium rubrum, Linnaeus, 1758.)

Crveni koralj (Corallium rubrum, Linnaeus, 1758.) eksploatira se već dugi niz godina i, iako je jedan od najpoznatijih koralja, njegova biologija i ekologija je slabo istražena i relativno nerazjašnjena. Cilj ovog rada bio je sakupiti što više podataka i sumirati ih na jednome mjestu, pri tome se koncentrirajući na koralj primarno kao jedinku u sklopu većeg morskog ekosustava. Nakon kratkog uvoda i sistematike vrste, upoznajemo se s biologijom koralja putem njegova tri osnovna funkcionalna sloja. Nakon toga upoznajemo se sa interakcijama s okolišem. Ovdje govorimo o distribuciji vrste te o njezinom odnosu s drugim vrstama (bio on s pripadnicima vlastite vrste, predatorima, plijenom ili sa ljudskom vrstom).Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum, Linnaeus, 1758.) is being exploited for many years and, although it is one of the most well-known corals, its biology and ecology is poorly understood and relatively unclear. The objective of this thesis is to gather as much information as possible and sum it up in one place, while concentrating on the coral as an individual, which is a part of a larger marine ecosystem. After a short introduction and systematics of the species, we are informed of biology of the coral through its three functional layers. Futhermore, we are informed of the interactions between the species and its environment. Here we discuss the distribution of the species and its relationship with other species (whether it is a one with its own species, predators, prey or with the human species)