Cold Temperate Coral Habitats

Cold-water coral habitats are constituted by a great variety of anthozoan taxa, with reefs and gardens being homes for numerous invertebrates and fish species. In the cold temperate North Atlantic, some coral habitats such as Lophelia pertusa reefs, and Primnoa/Paragorgia dominated coral gardens occur on both sides of the Atlantic over a wide latitudinal range. Other habitats, as some dominated by species of Isididae and Chrysogorgidae seem to have a more local/regional distribution. In this chapter, we describe the habitat characteristics of cold-water coral reefs, soft and hard-bottom coral gardens, and sea pen meadows with their rich associated fauna illustrated with numerous photos