“A phycology instructor of mine at the University of Hawaii once said that if people are going to call coral reefs ‘coral reefs’, because corals are the dominant creature, then people should actually call coral reefs ‘algal reefs’, because algae, coralline algae to be exact, are actually the dominate life form on coral reefs. Coralline algae are the glue on the reef, binding all the corals and other bits of material together, and coral reefs just wouldn’t be the same without them. What other things in life do we misname or misidentify because they don’t fit our current perception?”

Jonathan Hultquist, Manager of Public Programs at Vancouver Aquarium.