How do coral animals obtain their food?

Options

A. they have tentacles that trap food particles
B. they are photosynthetic
C. they absorb predigested food through their cell wall from dinoflagellates which are photosynthetic
D. Both (a) and (b)

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding Coral Animals**: Coral animals belong to the phylum Cnidaria, which includes marine organisms. They are primarily found in oceanic environments.

2. **Feeding Mechanism**: Coral animals have specialized structures called tentacles. These tentacles play a crucial role in their feeding process.

3. **Capturing Food**: The tentacles of corals are equipped with stinging cells known as nematocysts. These cells help in capturing food particles from the surrounding water.

4. **Types of Food**: Corals primarily feed on small planktonic organisms and other microscopic food particles that they can trap using their tentacles.

5. **Role of Dinoflagellates**: While corals do have a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates (specifically zooxanthellae), they do not directly absorb food from them. Instead, corals consume the dinoflagellates themselves, which are photosynthetic and provide nutrients to the corals.

6. **Conclusion**: Therefore, the primary way coral animals obtain their food is through their tentacles, which trap food particles from the water.

**Final Answer**: Coral animals obtain their food by using their tentacles to trap food particles from the surrounding water.

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